Mind & Mood
Protect your brain from stroke
Reducing your salt intake may help.
You've heard for years that too much salt can raise your blood pressure and is dangerous for the heart. A new study finds that salt may also be a threat to your brain. The study, published in the journal Stroke, finds that among older adults, a high-sodium diet can significantly raise the risk of stroke. "The findings are associations and don't prove causality," says Dr. Helen Delichatsios, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "But I don't think the concerns about excess salt intake are overrated."
Stroke and salt
A stroke occurs when an artery that supplies blood to the brain becomes blocked or bursts. Without blood, brain cells go without oxygen and begin to die.
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