“Reporting in the journal Nature, the researchers said high-salt diets increased levels of a type of immune cell linked with autoimmune disease. And mice genetically engineered to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) got much worse when they ate what amounted to a high-salt Western diet compared with mice who had more moderate salt intake. 

The findings suggest that salt may play a previously unknown role in triggering autoimmune diseases such as MS or type 1 diabetes in individuals who are already genetically predisposed. 

“It’s not bad genes. It’s not bad environment. It’s a bad interaction between genes and the environment,” said Dr. David Hafler, a professor of immunobiology at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and senior author of one of the three papers.”

 The findings came about after an unrelated study showed that those who visited fast food restaurants more than once a week had higher level of destructive inflammatory cells (specifically T helper 17), which assist the body against infections but attack the body in autoimmune diseases. Once this was discovered researchers looked both at the mechanism behind the development of these cells and at a mouse mode, as described above, to conclude that there could be a link between salt intake and development of autoimmune diseases.

Of course research is years away from confirming the connection in humans between salt intake and autoimmune disease development, but for now perhaps it’s best to stay away from higher levels of salt if you or your family are predisposed to autoimmune diseases. It’s important to remember though that Salt is important for thyroid health at lower levels, so moderation rather than omission is likely the key!