1<\/p>\n Eating too much could be linked to higher risk of depression, scientists saidCredit: Getty<\/p>\n And the latest study, conducted on mice, suggests that eating too much of it could harm mental health<\/a>.<\/p>\n A diet high in sodium (a mineral in salt) can\u00a0increase your risk of\u00a0heart disease<\/a>,\u00a0stroke<\/a>, and kidney disease.<\/p>\n Now, scientists from Nanjing Medical University say it could impact mental health<\/a> too, after they found that mice who were given salty foods developed depression-like symptoms. <\/p>\n They said this was because the high salt diets<\/a> affected the production of the cytokine IL-17A.<\/p>\n Cytokines are signalling proteins that help control inflammation in your body.<\/p>\n They allow your immune system<\/a> to defend your body if germs or other substances that can make you sick enter it. <\/p>\n IL-17A is one of those infection-fighting proteins that helps recruit other immune cells to the site of infection and makes the body’s defences stronger.<\/p>\n The cytokine has previously been linked to depressive symptoms<\/a>. <\/p>\n Lead author Dr Xiaojun Chen said: \u201cThis work supports dietary interventions, such as salt reduction, as a preventive measure for mental illness.<\/p>\n “It also paves the way for novel therapeutic strategies targeting IL-17A to treat depression<\/a>.” <\/p>\n It’s not the first piece of research to look into the connection between diet and depression. <\/p>\n Previous studies<\/a> have linked ultra processed foods – which tend to be high in salt, sugar and fat – to an increased risk of developing depression<\/a>. <\/p>\n To examine the effect of salt on mental health, scientists gave mice either a normal or high-salt diet for five to eight weeks and observed their behaviour. <\/p>\n After five weeks, the mice gorging on salt showed less interest in exploring and were more inactive compared to mice fed a normal diet, suggesting depression-like symptoms. <\/p>\n The study – published in The Journal of Immunology<\/a> – showed that mice fed lots of salt also experienced an increase in the production of IL-17A in their cells, spleens and certain areas of the brain. <\/p>\n Researchers also observed the behaviours of mice who couldn’t produce IL-17A as they didn’t have a specific receptor. <\/p>\n These mice didn’t display depression-like symptoms when being fed a high salt diet. <\/p>\n Researchers said their findings \u201csuggest that [a high-salt diet] drives depression-like behaviour in mice through inducing IL-17A production.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, the study authors shut off cells producing IL-17A in mice experiencing depressive symptoms for their salty diets. <\/p>\n How much salt should you be eating a day? <\/p>\n Here’s how much salt you should have daily according to your age:<\/p>\n Here are some ways to reduce salt consumption: <\/p>\n Source:\u00a0NHS<\/a><\/p>\n They found that this seemed to diminish depressive behaviour in mice. <\/p>\n![\"Salt](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/NINTCHDBPICT000984020719.jpg\")
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