High salt diet may lead to liver damage

New York: While high salt intake has been known to cause high blood pressure and other side effects, researchers have now found that a high-salt diet might also contribute to liver damage in adults and developing embryos.

Fibrosis is the first stage of liver scarring. Our bodies need a small amount of salt, the US government recommends one teaspoon per day if you are a healthy adult. Among other functions, the sodium ions from the savoury mineral help regulate water movement within the body and conduct nerve impulses. But too much of salt can be dangerous and in this study the researchers wanted to explore its potential effect at a cellular level.

The researchers gave adult mice a high-salt diet and exposed chick embryos to a briny environment. Excessive sodium was associated with a number of changes in the animals' livers, including oddly shaped cells, an increase in cell death and a decrease in cell proliferation, which can contribute to the development of fibrosis.