article_snippet: Eating too much salt may be bad for your heart – but too much salt can protect against skin infections, research has found.
article_snippet: A high-salt diet causes sodium levels to build up in the skin, boosting the immune system to fight off the germs that cause bacterial skin infections, say scientists.
article_snippet: Too much salt may be bad for your heart but Too much salt can protect against skin infections, new research found .
article_snippet: Professor Jonathan Jantsch, of the University of Regensburg, said: 'Up to now, salt has been regarded as a detrimental dietary factor; salt is clearly known to be detrimental for cardiovascular diseases, and recent studies have implicated a role in worsening autoimmune diseases. '
article_snippet: High levels of sodium stored in the skin, especially in the elderly, can lead to high blood pressure and increase the risk for heart disease and stroke, worsen autoimmune disease and even increase the risk of stomach cancer.
article_snippet: Professor Jens Titze from Vanderbilt University added: 'Despite the overwhelming evidence linking dietary salt to disease in humans, the potential evolutionary advantage of storing so much salt in the body has not been clear.'
article_snippet: A high-salt diet causes sodium levels to build up in the skin, boosting the immune system to fight off the germs that cause bacterial skin infections, say scientists .
article_snippet: Professor Jens Titze from Vanderbilt University went on: 'A further understanding of the regulatory cascades might not only help to design drugs that specifically enhance local salt deposition and help to combat infectious diseases, but also may lead to novel strategies to mobilise sodium stores in the ageing population and prevent cardiovascular disease. '
highlights_snippet: Raised sodium levels boost immune system and fight off germs .
  