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食鹽過(guò)量不但導(dǎo)致高血壓也會(huì)損害大腦
Salt has for years been cited as a cause of high blood pressure.
多年來(lái)，食鹽一直被認(rèn)為是導(dǎo)致高血壓的原因。
Now new research suggests high-salt diets may harm your brain, too.
現(xiàn)在一項(xiàng)新的研究表明，高鹽飲食可能也會(huì)損害你的大腦。
The latest study to show a link between a high-salt diet and memory and thinking problems was done in mice.
最近的一項(xiàng)研究表明，高鹽飲食與記憶力和思維問(wèn)題之間存在聯(lián)系。
But earlier research on humans suggests a link between high-salt diets and brain health as well.
但是早期的人類研究表明高鹽飲食和大腦健康之間也有聯(lián)系。
In the newest study, researchers fed mice either 8 or 16 times the normal amount of salt in their diet.
在最新的研究中，研究人員給小鼠喂了8到16倍于正常量的鹽。
Within 8 to 12 weeks, the mice showed signs of memory and thinking problems.
在8到12周內(nèi)，老鼠表現(xiàn)出了記憶和思考問(wèn)題的跡象。
They had trouble telling new and familiar objects apart.
他們很難區(qū)分新的和熟悉的物體。
It got harder for them to get through mazes.
他們更難通過(guò)迷宮。
And they couldn’t build a nest as well.
他們也不能建造一個(gè)巢穴。
These behaviors are all central to a mouse’s interaction with the world.
這些行為都是老鼠與周遭世界互動(dòng)的核心行為。
“We translate that in humans to activities of daily living, and that’s what we would call severe cognitive impairment or dementia,” says Costantino Iadecola, MD, a professor of neurology and neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City and the study’s lead researcher.
“我們將其轉(zhuǎn)化為日常生活的活動(dòng)，這就是我們所說(shuō)的嚴(yán)重的認(rèn)知障礙或癡呆癥，”Costantino Iadecola說(shuō)，他是紐約威爾康奈爾醫(yī)學(xué)院神經(jīng)學(xué)和神經(jīng)科學(xué)的教授，也是該研究的首席研究員。
For humans, the impairment would be like having memory problems, disorientation, and not being able to dress, cook, pay bills, or do other everyday things.
對(duì)人類來(lái)說(shuō)，損傷就像記憶問(wèn)題、迷失方向、不能穿衣、做飯、付賬單或做其他日常事情一樣。
Iadecola says the amount of salt he and his colleagues fed the mice was extreme.
他說(shuō)，他和他的同事給老鼠喂食的鹽的含量是極端的。
It likely would be 5 to 6 times the salt in a typical American diet.
這可能是典型美國(guó)飲食中鹽的5到6倍。
But he says “no one knows exactly how much salt Americans eat, because most of it is hidden in processed foods or restaurant foods.
但他說(shuō)，“沒(méi)有人確切知道美國(guó)人吃了多少鹽，因?yàn)榇蟛糠蛀}都藏在加工食品或餐館食品中。”
I’m sure it’s grossly underestimated.”
我敢肯定這是被嚴(yán)重低估了�！�
Also, mice showed the same level of impairment no matter which of the two high-salt diets they ate.
而且，不管他們吃的是哪種高鹽飲食，老鼠的損傷程度都是一樣的。
That suggests to Iadecola that less salt could cause the same problems: “I suspect that you can get cognitive impairment from even lower levels than we used.”
這就意味著，對(duì)于鹽來(lái)說(shuō)，鹽的減少可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致同樣的問(wèn)題：“我懷疑你的認(rèn)知能力會(huì)比我們所使用的更低。”
Potential Game-changer
潛在的決定因素
The study could change the conversation about diet with her patients, says Pinky Agarwal, MD, a neurologist who specializes in movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland, WA, and a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.
醫(yī)學(xué)博士平基阿加瓦爾說(shuō)，這項(xiàng)研究可能會(huì)改變與患者的飲食對(duì)話。他是一名神經(jīng)學(xué)家，在華盛頓州柯克蘭的 EvergreenHealth 公司專門(mén)研究類似帕金森病的運(yùn)動(dòng)障礙癥，同時(shí)也是美國(guó)神經(jīng)學(xué)研究院的研究員。
When doctors think about salt and patient health, they focus mostly on high blood pressure, or hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and stroke, she says.
她說(shuō)，當(dāng)醫(yī)生想到鹽和病人的健康時(shí)，他們主要關(guān)注高血壓、高血壓、心血管疾病和中風(fēng)。
““If a patient does not have hypertension, we don’t talk about salt at all,” says Agarwal, who was not involved in the study.
“如果病人沒(méi)有高血壓，我們根本就不談鹽，”沒(méi)有參與這項(xiàng)研究的阿加瓦爾說(shuō)。
“This study provides a good reason for us to ask everyone about salt intake.”
“這項(xiàng)研究提供了一個(gè)很好的理由，讓我們向所有人詢問(wèn)鹽的攝入量�！�
What Salt Does
鹽的作用
The effects that Iadecola found follow an indirect path.
他發(fā)現(xiàn)影響是間接的。
When the mice ate their doctored food, the excess salt triggered a response in their small intestine.
當(dāng)老鼠吃了他們的食物，多余的鹽在他們的小腸里引起了反應(yīng)。
It started to produce large amounts of Th17, a type of white blood cell involved with the immune system.
它開(kāi)始產(chǎn)生大量的Th17，一種與免疫系統(tǒng)有關(guān)的白細(xì)胞。
This led to a rise in levels of another component of the immune system, a protein called IL-17.
這導(dǎo)致了免疫系統(tǒng)的另一個(gè)組成部分的上升，一種叫做IL-17的蛋白質(zhì)。
That was a problem for the mice, and it likely would be for humans as well.
這對(duì)小鼠來(lái)說(shuō)是一個(gè)問(wèn)題，而且可能對(duì)人類也是如此。
When the body produces too much IL-17, it can no longer supply enough of a chemical called nitric oxide, which is made by cells lining blood vessels.
當(dāng)身體產(chǎn)生過(guò)多的IL-17時(shí)，它就不能再提供足夠的一種叫做一氧化氮的化學(xué)物質(zhì)，這種化學(xué)物質(zhì)是由血管中的細(xì)胞制造的。
When nitric oxide levels drop, blood vessels cannot relax, which leads to less blood flow to the brain.
當(dāng)一氧化氮水平下降時(shí)，血管不能放松，從而導(dǎo)致血液流向大腦的血液減少。
“You need nitric oxide for the brain to work correctly,” says Iadecola.
“你需要一氧化氮來(lái)讓大腦正常工作，”Iadecola說(shuō)。
This discovery that salt can lead to memory and thinking problems via reactions in the gut is exciting, says neurologist David Hafler, MD, who was not involved in the study.
醫(yī)學(xué)博士大衛(wèi)哈夫勒說(shuō)，這種發(fā)現(xiàn)鹽能通過(guò)腸道內(nèi)的反應(yīng)導(dǎo)致記憶和思考問(wèn)題的發(fā)現(xiàn)令人興奮。他沒(méi)有參與這項(xiàng)研究。
“This shows that dietary influences may be a major influence in vascular dementia,” says Hafler, professor and chairman of neurology and professor of immunobiology at the Yale School of Medicine.
“這表明飲食影響可能是血管性癡呆的主要影響，”哈夫勒說(shuō)，他是耶魯大學(xué)醫(yī)學(xué)院的神經(jīng)學(xué)教授和免疫生物學(xué)教授。
High Salt = Higher Rates of Disease
高鹽=更高的發(fā)病率
Hafler’s own research supports the significance of this new study.
Hafler自己的研究支持了這項(xiàng)新研究的意義。
In 2013, he and his colleagues published the first study demonstrating that excess salt boosts levels of Th17 and influences the development of multiple sclerosis.
2013年，他和他的同事發(fā)表了第一份研究報(bào)告，證明過(guò)量的鹽能提高Th17的水平，并影響多發(fā)性硬化癥的發(fā)展。
That discovery may help explain the rise in MS and other autoimmune diseases, like psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.
這一發(fā)現(xiàn)可能有助于解釋多發(fā)性硬化和其他自體免疫疾病的增多，如銀屑病、炎癥性腸病和類風(fēng)濕性關(guān)節(jié)炎。
“The effect of salt is just absolutely dramatic,” says Hafler.
“鹽的作用絕對(duì)是戲劇性的，”Hafler說(shuō)。
Iadecola says that some studies have shown higher rates of strokes and dementia in countries where people eat a lot of salt.
他說(shuō)，一些研究顯示，在人們吃大量鹽的國(guó)家，中風(fēng)和癡呆癥的發(fā)病率較高。
“Nobody has figured out how and why, and it’s been very controversial,” he says.
他說(shuō)：“沒(méi)有人知道所以然，這是非常有爭(zhēng)議的。”
“Some people argue that you may do harm by limiting salt intake too much, while others encourage people to curb it to a very small amount.”
“有些人認(rèn)為，限制鹽攝入量過(guò)多會(huì)造成傷害，而另一些人則鼓勵(lì)人們將鹽攝入量控制在很小的范圍內(nèi)�！�
A study published in March 2017, for example, found a link between low-salt diets and worsening thinking skills among adults over 50, especially those older than 80.
例如，一項(xiàng)于2017年3月發(fā)表的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，在50歲以上的成年人中，低鹽飲食與不斷惡化的思維能力之間存在聯(lián)系，尤其是那些80歲以上的人。
Two previous studies, however, reached different conclusions.
然而，之前的兩項(xiàng)研究得出了不同的結(jié)論。
Canadian researchers reported in 2011 that older adults who got little exercise were more likely to have memory and thinking problems if they ate a high-salt diet.
加拿大研究人員在2011年的報(bào)告中指出，那些很少運(yùn)動(dòng)的老年人如果吃高鹽飲食，他們的記憶力和思考問(wèn)題就會(huì)更大。
In 2013, a Turkish study showed that lower levels of salt were linked to better brain ability in adults with high blood pressure.
2013年，一項(xiàng)土耳其的研究表明，低水平的鹽與高血壓的成年人的大腦能力有關(guān)。
More Than Just Hypertension
不僅僅是高血壓
Agarwal says there’s probably a need for tests and questionnaires that will let doctors find out how much salt their patients eat.
阿格沃爾說(shuō)，可能需要進(jìn)行測(cè)試和問(wèn)卷調(diào)查，讓醫(yī)生們了解他們的病人吃了多少鹽。
Most dietary salt, after all, does not come from the saltshaker on your kitchen table.
畢竟，大多數(shù)的飲食鹽并不是來(lái)自你餐桌上的鹽瓶。
It’s in processed foods and restaurant meals, and that makes it hard to calculate.
這是在加工食品和餐館的食物中，這使得鹽的攝入量計(jì)算變得復(fù)雜。
Another complication: Different people will have different salt requirements, just like mice.
另一個(gè)難題是：不同的人會(huì)有不同的鹽攝入標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，就像老鼠一樣。
In Iadecola’s study, older mice showed signs of impairment earlier than the younger mice.
在一項(xiàng)研究中，年齡較大的老鼠比年輕的老鼠表現(xiàn)出更早的損傷跡象。
Other things, such as genetics, also will play a part in how much salt is too much.
其他的東西，比如基因，也會(huì)在鹽的攝入量過(guò)多的問(wèn)題上發(fā)揮作用。
“It’s becoming very clear that it very much depends on the genetic variation within the individual as to what salt will do,” says Hafler.
Hafler說(shuō)：“很明顯，這在很大程度上取決于個(gè)人體內(nèi)的基因變異，以及鹽的作用。”
He says that evolution shaped humans to need about 500 milligrams of salt per day.
他說(shuō)，進(jìn)化使人類每天需要大約500毫克鹽。
Many Americans eat more than 6 times that amount every day, the American Heart Association says.
美國(guó)心臟協(xié)會(huì)說(shuō)，許多美國(guó)人每天的食量是這一數(shù)字的6倍多。
“We’re consuming much more salt than nature intended,” Hafler says.
“我們攝入的鹽比天然的鹽分要多得多，”Hafler說(shuō)。
Effects May Be Reversible
過(guò)量食鹽的后果可能是可逆的
If you love salty food, there could be some good news.
如果你喜歡吃咸的食物，可能會(huì)有一些好消息。
Once the mice returned to their normal diet, their brain function returned to normal as well.
一旦老鼠恢復(fù)正常飲食，它們的大腦功能也恢復(fù)正常。
That suggests that problems caused by eating too much salt may be reversed once you cut back.
這表明，吃太多鹽所引起的問(wèn)題可能會(huì)在你減少的時(shí)候被逆轉(zhuǎn)。
And, of course, these problems may be prevented by avoiding a high-salt diet in the first place, says Agarwal: “It’s something that can be controlled.”
當(dāng)然，這些問(wèn)題可以通過(guò)避免高鹽飲食來(lái)避免，阿加瓦爾說(shuō)：“這是可以控制的。”
The mice in the study remained on their high-salt diet for only 3 months.
研究中的老鼠只在高鹽飲食中堅(jiān)持了3個(gè)月。
Is there a point at which the brain will begin to suffer permanent damage?
是否有這樣一個(gè)點(diǎn)，大腦會(huì)開(kāi)始遭受永久性損傷?
“We don’t know what will happen if you do this for 10 years,” says Iadecola.
“我們不知道如果你這樣做了10年，會(huì)發(fā)生什么，”Iadecola說(shuō)。
“My suggestion is that because the blood flow is reduced in the brain and because then the blood vessels in the brain don’t work correctly, something major is going to happen if you keep this up.
“我的建議是，因?yàn)榇竽X中的血液流動(dòng)減少了，因?yàn)榇竽X中的血管不能正常工作，如果你堅(jiān)持下去，就會(huì)發(fā)生一些重大的事情�！�
Watching salt intake may be an important step to preventing dementia.”
觀察鹽攝入量可能是預(yù)防癡呆的重要一步。”
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