Adding salt to food can increase risk of depression and anxiety by more than 40 per cent, study finds
Adding salt to food may raise the risk of suffering depression and anxiety, a study has shown.
Research based on data from nearly half a million British adults found those who regularly added salt were nearly 40 per cent more likely to develop the conditions than those who never or rarely did.
Suggestions for why it could have such an effect range from salt accelerating biological ageing and raising the risk of mental health problems, to it affecting the mood hormones serotonin and dopamine.
Research based on data from nearly half a million British adults found those who regularly added salt were nearly 40 per cent more likely to develop the conditions than those who never or rarely did. Picture: Stock image
Suggestions for why it could have such an effect range from salt accelerating biological ageing and raising the risk of mental health problems, to it affecting the mood hormones serotonin and dopamine. Picture: Stock image
Researchers from China’s Xinjiang Medical University said their study is ‘the first to report significant positive additive effects on the risk of depression and anxiety arising from adding salt to food’.
For those who occasionally added salt, the increased risks were 5 to 8 per cent.
Analysis of salt intake and mental health data from 439,412 Britons found 9,516 diagnosed with depression and 11,796 with anxiety, the Journal of Affective Disorders reports.
