Are you on top of your nootropics game, carefully structuring your nootropic routine and maximizing all the cognitive benefits you can get?
Or maybe your experience with nootropics is a secondary effect from working on lowering stress levels, strengthening your immune system, and nourishing your nervous system with naturals (like medicinal mushrooms or adaptogens). If you think you’ve got your immune system functioning at peak levels because of your use of nootropics, there could be something ready to interfere with all your dedicated work—and it’s at your next meal.
Immune System and Salt
Salt, often overlooked, plays a crucial role in immune function. Maintaining balance is key for optimal health. Keeping your immune system strong is vital for supplement efficacy. Don’t overlook its importance in achieving desired health outcomes.
Research that came to us last year uncovered a link between excess salt consumption and the immune system. It’s excess salt consumption that we’re talking about; but it’s easier than you think to get too much salt. The study used salt equivalent to two fast-food meals, like hamburgers and fries, for their research. Participants maintained their regular diet but added the equivalent of two fast-food meals, without altering their salt intake.
The salt kept their immune system cells from functioning properly and weakened their ability to fight bacterial infections. This affirmed findings from previous studies on rats, which showed slower healing from infections on high-salt diets.
As far as impacting the immune system on the whole, high-salt consumption also ended up releasing more steroids in the body known as glucocorticoids. The problem with extra glucocorticoids is the risk of immune system suppression.
Being smart about how much salt you’re eating can benefit your immune system and help keep you in fighting shape to take on your next cognitive challenge!
Further Reading
Katarzyna Jobin, Natascha E. Stumpf, Sebastian Schwab, et al. A high-salt diet compromises antibacterial neutrophil responses through hormonal perturbation. Science Translational Medicine, 2020 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aay3850
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