New research in cell cultures and two groups of mice found that a high-salt diet reduced the growth of tumors by altering the function of some immune cells.

Although many studies have linked increased salt consumption to inflammatory effects, it appears that in the case of cancer, more salt may be effective in fighting cancer.

Increased consumption of salt in the diet and strengthening of the immune system.

A group of scientists in fact examined the effects of a salt diet on tumor growth in vitro and in two groups of mice.
According to the researchers, a higher consumption of salt could have a beneficial impact on the immune system.
They found that excess salt inhibits the function of one type of immune cell (MDSC) in both mouse cells and human MDSCs taken from cancer patients.

To be precise, it would be enough to introduce 6 g of sodium chloride more for 14 days to affect the T lymphocytes and improve immunity especially against cancer.
By altering the proliferation of T lymphocytes and intestinal microbiota, a greater impact of the immune defenses on the growth of tumors would be obtained.
The same thing was observed on macrophages located around the area affected by the tumor.

The study was conducted by a multi-specialist team from German and Belgian universities, including Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, University of Hasselt, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, University Hospital Essen, VIB Center for Inflammation Research.

While waiting to understand more, it is clear that the role of salt in health and in the diet is much more complex than we normally assume .

In fact, other studies had correlated a greater consumption of salt in the diet to an enhancement of the immune defenses in an antibacterial key and an improvement in metabolism in general .