The Hidden Dangers In THIS Cheap Food
What can be said about fast food?
Cheap. Convenient. Full of sugar and fat…
And worst of all, loaded with TONS of HIDDEN sodium.
Yes, hidden as in not knowing exactly how much sodium you are actually eating.
In fact, a serving of French fries, nuggets, chips, or even those fast food burgers may contain upwards of half, three-quarters, or even MORE of your daily recommended sodium intake.
And this may be leading to many different issues in your body.
First, too much sodium (used to preserve the food) may end up dehydrating you, which could make it harder for your body to process nutrients, fats, sugars, and protein.
Secondly – and just recently discovered – high sodium foods may be one ENVIRONMENTAL cause of autoimmune disease – most notably arthritis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and thyroid issues.
Excess Sodium and Autoimmune Diseases
Although researchers may have discovered one of the processes for the development of autoimmune diseases, there are still many questions that need to be answered.
And researchers are pinning the blame on added sodium in the diet from fast foods, chips, and other high-sodium sources.
The authors of this study are theorizing that environmental conditions, and not just genetics, may be playing a larger than average role in the development of autoimmune diseases.
As a quick overview, autoimmune diseases are when the body perceives healthy tissue already residing in your body as foreign.
And when that happens, it sends an immune response to that area in order to destroy what it perceives as a foreign invader.
This can happen in any area of the body and may lead to massive damage and inflammation at the site of “attack”.
Now, researchers have discovered – almost on accident – that high sodium diets (like the kind associated with increased fast food intake) may increase the activity of a specific helper cell that has been linked to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) – which could lead to MS and other autoimmune disorders.
Here’s what they found:
They found that high salt diets were able to significantly increase human TH17 cells in mice models.
TH17 cells are T-helper cells that have been shown to increase EAE in mice models.
They showed that TH17 cells, activated by high-salt diets, were characterized by up-regulation of pro-inflammatory molecules.
Plus, the mice fed the high-salt diet, showed a more SEVERE form of EAE than the control mice.
What did they conclude from their findings?
“Thus, increased dietary salt intake might represent an environmental risk factor for the development of autoimmune diseases through the induction of pathogenic TH17 cells.”
The Dangerous Effects of High-Salt Diets
As you know, too much sodium in your diet may be linked to adverse health conditions.
It may lead to heart issues, issues with blood pressure, and now, autoimmune issues.
As if you needed something else to worry about!
What you should be doing is this: avoid fast food joints that may use tons of sodium to preserve everything from the meat to the buns.
If you do go out to eat, ask the waiter/waitress to hold off on the seasoning in the kitchen, therefore limiting your intake of hidden sodium.
By limiting your sodium intake, you may be improving your overall heart health, plus limiting your exposure to cells that may cause extra inflammation and that could eventually lead to autoimmune disease development.
WARNING: Read This Before Taking ANY Other Fish Oil >>
References:
Kleinewietfeld M, Manzel A, Titza J, Kvakan H, Yosef N, Linker RA, Muller DN, Hafler DA. Sodium chloride derives autoimmune disease by the induction of pathogenic TH17 cells. Nature. 2013 Mar 6. Di: 10.1038/nature11868.
About Jayson Hunter & Jaylab Pro
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Jaylab Pro was founded by Registered Dietitian Jayson Hunter. Jayson has been recognized as one of America's foremost weight loss experts by America's Premier Experts™. He has also been featured in USA Today for this accomplishment. Jayson is also a best-selling author having co-authored multiple books in health & fitness and business growth. Jayson and the Jaylab Pro team are proud to create content that helps improve the lives of millions of people around the world. We hope you enjoy it just as much as others have.