We use it in food every day, but in excessive amounts it hurts. Due to salt, which is necessary for the body to function properly, changes in its daily intake can lead to flare-ups of eczema. research from the University of California.
A high-sodium diet may increase the risk of eczema, the researchers behind the study note, noting that eating just one extra gram of sodium per day increases the chance of a flare-up by 22%.
How are salt and eczema related?
Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic disease that causes dry and itchy skin. It is one of the most common skin diseases affect approximately 223 million people, of which 43 million are children aged 1-4 years.
It has become increasingly common in recent years, with researchers suggesting that environmental factors such as diet are also involved.
Sodium, which most people consume in the form of salt, increases the risk hypertension and excessive amounts of heart disease. Scientists recently discovered that sodium is stored in the epidermis, where it may play a role in the inflammation associated with eczema.
For this reason, researchers argue that limiting dietary sodium may be an easy way to manage eczema.
“Most people consume a lot of salt and can safely reduce their intake to the recommended level,” said Dr. Katrina Abuabara, associate professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco, and author of the study, published in JAMA Dermatology.
Even a half-teaspoon supplement increases the risk
“Eczema flare-ups can be difficult to manage,” she says, “especially when patients can’t predict them and don’t have advice on what to do to avoid them.”
Researchers analyzed data (urine samples and electronic medical records) from more than 215,000 people aged 30 to 70 from the UK Biobank for a cross-sectional study.
The researchers knew how much sodium the participants consumed, so they could see if they had been diagnosed atopic dermatitis as well as how serious their work is.
They report that each additional gram of sodium excreted in the urine over a twenty-four-hour period is associated with an 11% greater chance of being diagnosed with eczema, a 16% greater chance of an active flare-up, and an 11% greater chance of being diagnosed. % higher probability of increased severity.
They then looked at 13,000 US adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and found that just one extra gram of sodium per day — about half a teaspoon of salt — increased the chance of developing active eczema by 22%. .