News #ACTRIMS2017 – High Salt Diet Seen as Potential Risk Factor for MS in New Study #ACTRIMS2017 – High Salt Diet Seen as Potential Risk Factor for MS in New Study by Patricia Inacio, PhD | February 24, 2017 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link New evidence strengthens the link betweenĀ a diet high in salt and multiple sclerosis (MS) development, researchers show. The study,Ā āSodium Chloride Intake and MS,ā was presented on Feb. 24 at the ACTRIMS) 2017 ForumĀ being held in Orlando, Florida, by Dr. David Hafler with theĀ Yale School of Medicine. The forum runs through Feb. 25. Autoimmune diseases are a major health concern, affecting up to 50 million Americans, according to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA). These diseases arise when theĀ immune system (a complex network of special cells and pathways to defend against disease) starts attacking healthy cells. MS, an autoimmune disease caused by both genetic and environmental factors, has witnessed an increase in incidence in Western populations. āWhile the much of the genetic basis of multiple sclerosis has been elucidated, changes in environmental factors must ultimately be driving this increase,ā Hafler wrote. To date, more than 200 variations in the humanĀ genome have been identified as drivers ofĀ MS. Within the large number of cells inĀ the immune system, a specific subset called Th17 cells, are knownĀ to play a key role in disease development in animal models of MS due to their pro-inflammatory actions. Now, researchers presented data supporting the view that a high salt diet, commonly found in Western diets, boosts the number and maturation of animal and human Th17 cells. They pinpointed a specific pathway, the p38/MAPK pathway, as a mediator of high salt-induced Th17 cell development. By using either drugs that inhibit specific components of the p38/MAPK pathway, or tools that specifically āsilenceā the expression of genes important in thisĀ pathway, the teamĀ wasĀ able to blockĀ Th17 cell development under high-salt conditions. ResearchersĀ confirmed the highly pro-inflammatory profile of high salt-induced Th17 cells, which resulted inĀ increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and interleukin (IL)-2. Cytokines are small secreted proteins that play a key role in immune cell communication and responses, and stimulate the movement of immuneĀ cells toward sites of inflammation, infection and trauma. Overall, these results support the view that an āincreased dietary salt intake might represent an environmental risk factor for the development of autoimmune diseases,ā HaflerĀ concluded, adding thatĀ “Clinical trials are now being performed at Yale to examine how dietary salt influences immune responses.” Print This Page About the Author Patricia Inacio, PhD Patricia holds her PhD in cell biology from the University Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, and has served as an author on several research projects and fellowships, as well as major grant applications for European agencies. She also served as a PhD student research assistant in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University, New York, for which she was awarded a Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) fellowship. Tags ACTRIMS 2017, cytokines, Th17 cells
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