High and Low Salt Diets Linked to Weaker Memory in Mouse Study

A study of mice carrying human gut bacteria found weaker memory after the animals were fed diets with either very high or very low salt levels.

The findings suggest that both extremes of salt intake may be relevant to memory in this experimental setting, rather than high salt intake alone.

By studying animals carrying human gut bacteria, the research offers clues to the relationship between diet, the gut and the brain. It does not, however, establish how that relationship works in people.

The distinction is important: the memory effects were observed in mice, and the presence of human gut bacteria does not make the results proof of a similar effect in humans.

The findings therefore provide a starting point for further research, not a basis on their own for changing salt intake to protect memory.