Salt can cause depression

Salt is known to raise the risk of various health issues and a new study conducted on mice in China has found that eating too much can lead to depression-like symptoms.
Scientists at Nanjing Medical University say this is because a high salt diet affects the production of the cytokine IL-17A.

Cytokines are signalling proteins that help to control inflammation in the body – allowing the immune system to defend it from germs or other substances that can cause illness.
IL-17A – an infection-fighting protein – has previously been linked to depressive symptoms.

Dr Xiaojun Chen, lead author of the research, said: "This work supports dietary interventions, such as salt reduction, as a preventive measure for mental illness.
"It also paves the way for novel therapeutic strategies targeting IL-17A to treat depression."

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