The effect of salt intake on MS relapses in children
Research in the USA finds no link between salt intake and time to relapse in children with MS
Last updated: 7th August 2016
Salt, or sodium chloride, can affect the immune system. For example, researchers have previously shown that adding salt to the diet of an animal model that resembles MS in humans, can change the severity of the disease.
However, it remains unclear whether a change in dietary intake of salt can reduce the number of relapses in people with MS, especially in children with MS who show higher rate of attacks.
In this study from the University of California, San Francisco MS Centre, researchers looked at the records of 174 children with MS from 15 pediatric centres across the USA. They assessed daily salt intake using questionnaires that children or their parents had to respond to.
Researchers did not find any significant association between the amount of salt intake and relapses. The authors concluded that salt intake is not associated with decreased time to relapse in children with MS.
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