Following a specific diet or nutrition plan can be hugely difficult, and a low sodium diet can be especially tricky because there is salt in absolutely everything. Now, scientists have discovered a mechanism in fruit flies that help to regulate sodium levels. This could potentially improve the wellbeing of humans, as the mechanism could possibly translate to human beings, too.
Human beings crave salt, and yet taking in too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, dehydration, weight gain and kidney damage. The current advice in the United States is that adults should restrict their salt intake to around 2,300 milligrams per day, but this new mechanism could mean that we don’t need to protect our wellness in this way, as our bodies would be able to figure it out for themselves.
This research seems to show that humans have an internal device which helps to regulate the intake of salt. In addition, it appears that a person’s salt tolerance levels may vary from person to person, with some requiring more than others. This was tested on the fruit flies by adding different concentrations of salt to the tongues of fruit flies and then monitoring their reactions.
Low levels of salt seemed to please the fruit flies, which were attracted to it and took it in eagerly. As the levels increased, the flies became averse to the salt and found it repellent. This change in attitude towards the salt suggests an internal regulation system, which was inbuilt into the flies to protect their health.
When the tongue tastes salt, it sends messages to the brain to let it know what the substance is. When there is a little salt, it appears to taste better and sends a message to the brain to feel attracted to it. At higher levels, the message from the brain tells them that the salt tastes bad, and that they should not take it into their body.