Eating too much salt may be bad for your heart – but it can protect against skin infections , research has found . 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 . In an experiment , German researchers discovered that mice which were fed a high-salt diet healed infections in their feet more quickly . Too much salt may be bad for your heart but it can protect against skin infections , new research found . This is because the salt had raised the activity of immune cells called macrophages , making their immune systems more responsive . The findings , published in the journal Cell Metabolism , may also highlight how salt was once effectively used to ward off infections before antibiotics were invented . Professor Jonathan Jantsch , of the University of Regensburg , said : 'Up to now , salt has been regarded as a detrimental dietary factor ; it is clearly known to be detrimental for cardiovascular diseases , and recent studies have implicated a role in worsening autoimmune diseases . 'Our current study challenges this one-sided view and suggests that increasing salt accumulation at the site of infections might be an ancient strategy to ward off infections , long before antibiotics were invented . ' 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 . 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 . ' 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 . The researchers found that infected areas in patients with bacterial skin infections also showed remarkably high salt accumulation . But in experiments high salt diet mice had increased immunity against microbial infections by boosting the activity of immune cells called macrophages . This meant that mice who had infections in their feet caused by a parasite called Leishmania major were able to heal more quickly . Future studies will examine how salt accumulates in the skin and triggers immune responses , and why salt accumulates in the skin of ageing adults . Professor Jantsch 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 . 'We also think that local application of high-salt-containing wound dressings and the development of other salt-boosting antimicrobial therapies might bear therapeutic potential . ' But he warned everyone should not rush off and start a high salt diet . He added : 'Due to the overwhelming clinical studies demonstrating that high dietary salt is detrimental to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases , we feel that at present our data does not justify recommendations on high dietary salt in the general population . 'Nevertheless , in situations where endogenous accumulation of salt to sites of infection is insufficient , supplementation of salt might be a therapeutic option . 'But this needs to be addressed in further studies . '
Research has found eating salt can protect against skin infections . Score: 6