High-salt diet and sedentary lifestyle bad for brain, research shows
A high-salt diet combined with a sedentary lifestyle can impair cognitive health in older people, according to researchers at Baycrest in Toronto.The study showed that failing to get enough exercise was not enough alone to have a negative impact on the cognitive function, as long as people ate a low sodium diet.
Dr Alexandra Fiocco, a scientist with Baycrest,said: "We have generated important evidence that sodium intake not only impacts heart health, but brain health as well ... a diet high in sodium, combined with little exercise, was especially detrimental."
The results are significant as a large percentage of adults spend time eating snacks which are high in salt while taking part on sedentary activity, Dr Carol Greenwood, senior author of the study, warned.
In 2007, a study based on data collected as part of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey revealed that children who eat high-salt diets are more likely to experience high blood pressure, which is linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
