A High Salt Low Potassium Diet Can Increase Your Risk of Cognitive Decline (SciTechDaily)

[eppur_se_muova]

By KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. January 24, 2023
Neuron Brain Neuroscience Concept

Dementia is a debilitating condition that affects a person’s ability to remember, think, and make decisions, making it difficult for them to perform everyday activities. It has become one of the leading causes of death and disability among the elderly worldwide. In China, which has both the largest elderly population and one of the fastest-aging populations, dementia poses significant economic, health, and social challenges.

Since dementia is irreversible and effective treatments are limited, preventing and detecting cognitive decline early on is crucial. Studies have shown that certain lifestyle factors such as physical activity, diet, and sleep can affect cognitive function. However, the impact of dietary sodium and potassium on cognitive function remains poorly understood.

In a prospective study published in the KeAi journal Global Transitions, a group of researchers from China looked at the impact of dietary sodium, potassium, sodium to potassium ratio, and salt on the cognitive function of a group of elderly people in China. Participants numbered 4,213 and were aged at least 50 years at baseline. Results are based on cognitive tests and participants’ self-reporting.

The research team found that a high intake of sodium (> 5593.2 mg/day) and a high sodium-to-potassium ratio (> 3.8/day) increased the risk of memory impairment in the elderly. Conversely, higher levels of potassium intake (> 1653.3 mg/day) were associated with a higher cognitive score; the average cognitive test score (13.44 at baseline, total score was 27.00) increased by ~1 point when 1000 mg/day of sodium was replaced with an equal intake of potassium.

In addition, the researchers built on previous studies by demonstrating that the effects of dietary sodium, sodium to potassium ratio, and potassium on cognitive function have the potential to be mediated by cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease (CCVD), while the link between salt and cognitive function can be mediated by sleep.
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more: https://scitechdaily.com/a-high-salt-low-potassium-diet-can-increase-your-risk-of-cognitive-decline/


Interesting background in the article about the high intake of sodium in the Chinese population, the highest in the world.

[IronLionZion]

1. People in general eat a lot of salt and sodium

since it's a preservative in most processed foods.

Potassium is good for other things like cardio health.

[Farmer-Rick]

2. Potassium deficiencies are tied into all sorts of problems

But the ratio was a more unique examination. Good info. Thanks for posting.

[Cheezoholic]

3. 5500 mg's of sodium a day?

Holy shit I'd sweat blood if I had that much daily.

[tanyev]

4. Marking to find later.

[Warpy]

5. I'm not a bit surprised by this

Smokers, especially, tend to oversalt their food because their sense of taste is blunted. The combination contributes to cardiovascular disease and that's probably what is behind the increased risk of dementia. Add to that the fact that people tend not to get enough dietary potassium. A glass of OJ at breakfast will do the trick, but a lot of people can't afford it. A banana every other day will work, but a lot of people can't afford that. Almonds are totally beyond the budget. Potatoes with the skins on are a good source, so save those skins if you're making mash and toast them in the oven with some butter or olive oil, granulated onion or garlic, black pepper, and a few wicked white grains of salt. You won't be sorry.

When I go to a restaurant, I always know when the chef is a heavy smoker, the food tastes of nothing but salit.

[eppur_se_muova]

6. Interesting! No smokers in my family, and I never heard about that effect.

I read years ago that when someone attempted to follow recipes from ancient Rome they found the results unbearably salty. The Romans famously introduced lead pipes (plumbum for their plumbing) to carry their drinking water, and the wealthier Romans may have suffered from lead poisoning, which tends to diminish the ability to taste salt. Lead has sometimes been used in pigments for pottery glazes, even recently. A case from a number of years ago involved a family who had bought a pottery pitcher as a souvenir in Mexico and used it to store their orange juice in the refrigerator. The citric acid in the juice slowly leached out the lead in the glaze, and they all wound up with lead poisoning. I'd be wary of eating out of anything made in China, too.

More resent research suggests the Romans may have been poisoned by antimony alloyed with the lead. I don't know if antimony has the same effect on tasting salt.

[Warpy]

8. Thanks! That's fascinating, also

I knew about the lead in the pipes but the rain wasn't acidified then to the extent it is now, so surface water didn't tend to leach as much lead out of the plumbing. They did, however, get massive poisoning from sour wine in lead cups. It should be pointed out that the ancient Romans preferred the sweeter white wines to the sour reds, which they mostly exported along with the worst lead poisoning to their honchos on the frontiers. It might explain why several governors of Britannia decided to go conquer Rome because they wanted to be Caesars.

Lead pipes were common in the early US, also. Acid rain made it worse in places that got their drinking water from ground water, like Boston. We were told to run the water for at least 10 minutes before we used it for cooking or drinking or brushing our teeth. They have since replaced the lead with other materials. I imagine it still tastes fishy from algae.

[eppur_se_muova]

10. Same problem in Flint, MI. When they changed water sources, the new water ...

was slightly more acidic, and started dissolving the calcium phosphate which had coated the inside of the lead plumbing, releasing trapped lead. The Romans may have benefited from calcification of their plumbing as well, or lead poisoning would have been worse.

One more fun fact: lead acetate, aka sugar of lead, has a sweet taste and was added to wine by the Romans, who liked their wine sweet.

[Warpy]

11. Lead paint chips tasted vaguely like Canada Mints

I tasted them once at a neighborhood kid's suggestion. I wasn't impressed so it wasn't a habit. I remember it well, I was three.

I think it was the first time I said, "no, you can have my share," a phrase that has come in handy when a drinker gets upset that I've turned alcohol down or a cokehead wanting me to do a line, or...

[cyclonefence]

7. Is the rate of dementia higher in China

than elsewhere in the world? I didn't understand that from my reading of the article. Seems like it should be.

[TdeV]

9. Soy sauce is mostly salt.