Himalayan Pink Salt as a Healthier Substitute in Lowering the Risk of Dietary Salt Induced Cognitive Insults in Experimental Rats

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) belonging to the class of tauopathies, is a major cause of dementia globally. Observational studies in the aging population have reported that excessive dietary salt consumption is one of the risk factors that contribute to the pathological processes that underlie dementia and cognitive impairment. Regulation of the daily salt intake and consumption of alternative nutritional salts, if proven, may serve as a cost-effective and feasible approach in lowering the risk of dementia. With this background, the objective of the current study included assessment of the putative benefits of Himalayan pink salt with regard to its effects on spatial memory in comparison with that of common salt using rat as an experimental model. The results of the study showed that Himalayan pink salt, even at 5-10 fold higher concentrations of the salt over the permissible daily intake limits, could exhibit a positive effect on learning and memory in Barnes maze task and improved nitric oxide levels. Phosphorylated tau levels remained comparable to that of control group whereas common salt inflicted greater insults leading to elevated levels of pathological form of tau and compromised spatial memory. These findings suggest that Himalayan pink salt may serve as a healthier salt substitute towards lowering the risk or severity of dietary salt induced form of AD.