A high sodium diet may increase the risk of eczema, according to researchers at UC San Francisco (UCSF), who found that eating just one extra gram of sodium per day—the amount in a Big Mac—increases the likelihood of flares by 22%. Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic disease that causes dry, itchy skin. It's one of the most common skin conditions, affecting more than 31 million people in the U.
S., and one in 10 people will develop it at some point. It has become increasingly common in recent years, especially in industrialized countries, implicating environmental and lifestyle factors like diet.
Sodium, which most people consume in the form of salt, increases the risk of hypertension and heart disease . And scientists recently discovered that sodium is stored in the skin, where it may play a role in the inflammation in eczema. Limiting dietary sodium could be an easy way for eczema patients to manage their disease.
"Most Americans eat too much salt and can safely reduce their intake to recommended levels," said Katrina Abuabara, MD, associate professor of dermatology at UCSF and corresponding author of the study, which appears June 5, 2024, in JAMA Dermatology . "Eczema flares can be difficult for patients to cope with," said Abuabara, who is also 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." For.
