Study shows excess salt may contribute to brain dysfunction

A study by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) shows that excess salt has a direct impact on the brain, causing significant damage to blood vessels, it was revealed this Monday.

“We found a link between high dietary salt intake and cerebral microvascular dysfunction, specifically in the physiological mechanism of neurovascular coupling, that is, a disruption of the articulation between neurons and blood vessels,” the study summary sent to the Lusa agency said.

Excessive salt consumption can cause high blood pressure, a major risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke.

This study, conducted by researcher and neurologist Ana Monteiro, now shows that excess salt has a direct impact on the brain, causing significant damage to blood vessels.

People who eat more salt have dysfunction of small blood vessels in the brain, regardless of blood pressure control, which may be associated with cognitive problems and increase the likelihood of dementia.

The team studied people with well-controlled high blood pressure (with values ​​within the normal range when taking medication), but who still had no symptoms. In addition to high blood pressure, many of the patients studied also had diabetes.

Patients recruited from a hospital in the Porto region underwent a series of tests, including an assessment of the amount of sodium they consumed daily, blood pressure (over 24 hours) and tests that assessed the health and function of the small vessels in the brain. more susceptible to damage caused by high voltage.

According to FMUP, MRI scans were also performed to assess for hidden brain damage and cognitive functions, including attention, speed of thought and memory, were examined.

Participants in this study consumed 12 grams of salt per day, more than double the maximum recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is five grams per day.

The results showed that patients who consumed more salt had a lesser ability to increase cerebral blood flow to the areas of the brain that are most active during a particular task (in this case, the occipital cortex during a visual task), indicating greater arterial stiffness.

In conclusion, according to the team of researchers mentioned in the statement, “higher salt intake is associated with impaired neurovascular coupling during visual stimulation.”

In other words, “excess salt makes communication between neurons and blood vessels in the brain less efficient during periods of greater need for blood supply to neurons responsible for responding to a visual stimulus.”

The study was conducted by several researchers from FMUP and the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University (Chicago, USA) and is part of a larger research effort presented in May in a neuroscience doctoral dissertation led by Ana Monteiro and supervised by Elsa Azevedo (FMUP/ULS São João).