Scientists Now Find a Link Between Increased Salt Intake and Diabetes Risk

(Newswire.net — November 15, 2021) Orlando, FL — In the United States, there are over 100 million individuals who suffer from diabetes. This condition continues to affect more and more people not just in the U.S., but around the globe.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that about 9.4 percent of the U.S. population have the condition. 

Today, more and more researchers are carrying out studies to learn more about this incurable condition. It is worth noting that knowledge about its risk factors is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of the condition.

In a study, it has been found that increased levels of salt consumption may increase the risk of diabetes in adults.

This study was spearheaded by Bahareh Rasouli of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

It was presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Lisbon, Portugal.

The investigators particularly reveal that there was a link between salt intake and the average 65 percent increase in the odds of developing type 2 diabetes for every 2.5 extra grams of salt, slightly less than half a teaspoon, consumed per day.

Individuals who took around 1.25 teaspoons of salt or even higher were more likely to develop the condition by 72 percent. 

It is strongly recommended to reduce intake of salt as it could ward off not just diabetes but also other medical conditions. Experts say that there are many ways to fight diabetes, and they particularly involve following healthy dietary and lifestyle practices.

There are also some natural remedies like milk thistle scientifically found to work wonders in fighting diabetes. It is worth mentioning milk thistle has long been studied due to its medicinal properties.

A study has shown milk thistle aids in significantly benefiting total cholesterol, glycosylated hemoglobin levels, and LDL cholesterol as well as triglyceride levels. This study involved diabetics as subjects. 

According to lead author Fallah Huseini, the results are very encouraging, and we now need to do further large multi-center studies.

In this four-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, the investigators recruited 51 individuals with type 2 diabetes.

It involved the intake of 200 milligrams thrice a day or a placebo. It has been found that in the group treated with milk thistle extract, there was a reduction in average glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels by 1.04 percent after four months. 

The same group also achieved a significant reduction in the blood levels of total cholesterol (12 percent), LDL cholesterol (12 percent), and triglyceride levels (25 percent).

More studies are still being carried out to explore more of the healing goodness of milk thistle. However today, it is widely taken via supplementation such as Divine Bounty Milk Thistle (http://amazon.com/Milk-Thistle-Supplement-Standardized-Extract/dp/B01LWI4A51).