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Discovering how diets high in salt cause heart disease when blood pressure in normal
Australians consume 3 times the recommended amount of salt. Salt intake is linked to an increase in all-cause mortality, predominately due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Salt is thought to influence heart disease by causing increased blood pressure. However, it was recently shown in 10,000 people that high salt diets cause heart disease in people with normal blood pressure. Thus, it is critical to understand what a high salt diet is doing to our bodies to cause heart disease and how to stop this. We have data that clearly shows a high salt diet damages the intestine, which causes activation of the immune system and eventually leads to blockage of blood vessels. This project will explore this relationship in more detail and provide evidence that good gut health is important to prevent the bad effects of salt.
Last updated12 March 2024