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https://theconversation.com/salty-foods-are-making-people-sick-in-part-by-poisoning-their-microbiomes-224591>
"People have been using salt since the dawn of civilization to process,
preserve and enhance foods. In ancient Rome, salt was so central to commerce
that soldiers were paid their “salarium,” or salaries, in salt, for instance.
Salt’s value was in part as a food preservative, keeping unwanted microbes at
bay while allowing desired ones to grow. It was this remarkable ability to
regulate bacterial growth that likely helped spark the development of fermented
foods ranging from sauerkraut to salami, olives to bread, cheese to kimchi.
Today, salt has become ubiquitous and highly concentrated in increasingly
processed diets. The evidence has mounted that too much salt – specifically the
sodium chloride added to preserve and enhance the flavor of many highly
processed foods – is making people sick. It can cause high blood pressure and
contribute to heart attacks and stroke. It is also associated with an increased
risk of developing stomach and colon cancer, Ménière’s disease, osteoporosis
and obesity.
How might a substance previously thought worth its weight in gold have
transformed into something many medical institutions consider a key predictor
of disease?
Salt lobbyists may be one answer to this question. And as a gastroenterologist
and research scientist at the University of Washington, I want to share the
mounting evidence that microbes from the shadows of your gut might also shed
some light on how salt contributes to disease."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
