EATING lots of salt could increase your risk of developing agonising eczema, scientists say.
In fact, having just one extra gram a day – the amount of sodium found in a Big Mac – could up your risk of skin flare ups by 22 per cent.
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Eczema, also known as dermatitis, is a condition that causes unbearably itchy than can get red, cracked and sore.
About one in 10 adults in the UK – and one in five children – have its most common form, called atopic eczema, according to the National Eczema Society.
A number of things can trigger the skin condition, including allergies, clothing and cold weather.
Now, researchers at UC San Francisco (UCSF) say your diet could have something to do with it too, particularly the levels of sodium you consume.
Read more on skin conditions
Sodium, which most people consume in the form of salt, increases your risk of hypertension and heart disease.
Research from Tulane University also linked sodium-heavy diets to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Meanwhile, scientists recently discovered that sodium is stored in the skin, where it may play a role in the inflammation typical of eczema.
UCSF scientists suggested that limiting the amount of sodium you eat might be one way of managing the skin condition.
Katrina Abuabara, associate professor of dermatology at UCSF and study author, said: “Most Americans eat too much salt and can safely reduce their intake to recommended levels.
“Eczema flares can be difficult for patients to cope with,” said Dr Abuabara, also an associate adjunct professor of epidemiology at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.
“Especially when they are unable to anticipate them and don’t have recommendations on what they can do to avoid them.”
Researchers analysed data from more than 215,000 people aged between 30 and 70 from the UK Biobank, which includes urine samples and electronic medical records.
They could tell how much sodium each person was eating from their urine samples and they could see whether people had a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis – and how severe it was – from prescription codes.
The team found that each additional gram of sodium excreted in urine over 24 hours was associated with 11 per cent higher odds of an eczema diagnosis and a 16 per cent higher risk having an active case.
WHAT IS ECZEMA?
Eczema is a condition that causes the skin to become itchy, red, dry and cracked.
Atopic eczema (the most common form of the condition) is more common in children, often developing before their first birthday.
However, it may also develop for the first time in adults.
It’s usually a long-term condition, although it can improve significantly, or even clear completely, in some children as they get older.
The exact cause of eczema is not known.
Symptoms:
Some people only have small patches of dry skin, but others may experience widespread red, inflamed skin all over the body.
It can affect any part of the body but it most often affects the hands, insides of the elbows, backs of the knees and the face and scalp in children.
Treatment:
There are many different treatments to help control eczema, including:
- self-care techniques, such as reducing scratching and avoiding triggers
- moisturising treatments used on a daily basis
- topical corticosteroids to reduce swelling, redness and itching during flare-ups
The more salt people consumed, the higher their risk of severe eczema, with each gram of salt linked to 11 per cent higher odds of increased severity.
Researchers also looked at 13,000 US adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
They found that eating just one additional gram a day of sodium – about half a teaspoon of table salt – was associated with a 22 per cent risk of having an active case of eczema.
The study was published in in JAMA Dermatology.
How much salt should I be having daily?
The NHS sets out guidelines on the maximum amount of salt you should eat daily, according to your age.
- Under one year: less than 1g
- One to three years old: no more than 2g
- Four to six years old: no more than 3g
- Seven to 10 years old: no more than 5g
- 11 and older: no more than 6g
Six grams amounts to about a teaspoon of salt – not very much at all.
But it can be tricky to measure just how much you’re consuming throughout the day, as many foods and condiments are saltier than you’d expect.
Around three quarters of the salt we eat comes from packaged foods that are staples of our daily diets, such as bread, breakfast cereals, meat products and ready meals, the NHS says.
And it’s pretty impossible to know just how much salt is in takeaways, restaurant meals or fast-food.
Sauces can be high in salt too, such as soy sauce, gravy granules, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and brown sauce.
Some surprising foods that you might not know are high in salt include:
- Cheese
- Breakfast cereals
- Canned soups
- Bread, pastries and pizzas
- Biscuits, cookies and cakes
- Processed meats – sausages, bacon and ham
Dissolvable tablets, such as painkillers, vitamins or prescription medicines, may be high in salt too.
The British Heart Foundation advises you look at the labels on your food will in nutritional information section, which will show how much salt is in each product.
To see how much salt is in the packaged food, you can look at the ‘amount per serving’.
Some food labels have a traffic light system to help you see if the food has a low, medium or high amount of salt in it.
Try reducing the amount of of food you eat with medium (amber) and high (red) levels of salt.
You can also try using a sodium calculator to get an idea of how much salt you’re eating in a day.
Nutritionist Sonia Pombo, of Action on Salt, previously revealed hidden ‘salt traps’ that are upping the sodium content of your meals.
They include mustard – which contains 0.42g per serving – sun dried tomatoes that have a whopping 1.35g per portion and Linda McCartney veggie sausages, with 1.24g per serving.