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Salty diet may increase risk for autoimmune diseases

A new study finds another reason to cut down on the salt: Increased salt intake may trigger and sustain some autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases are illnesses that cause the immune system to attack healthy cells instead of pathogens and can affect any part of the body. This includes everything from Type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health, there are more than 80 different types of autoimmune diseases that affect 23.5 million Americans. Autoimmune diseases have been associated with an overproduction of TH17 immune cells, a type of helper T cell (or white blood cell) that produces an inflammatory protein called interleukin-17, but science hasn't been able to determine why some people produce more TH17 than others, Nature pointed out. But, three separate studies published in Nature on Mar. 6 may provide more clues. Researchers note that autoimmune diseases h