The hunger for salt is driven by addiction, causing the brain to react in the same way it does with cigarettes and hard drugs, according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
By observing mice that had been starved for salt for three days, researchers found that the brain cells began to create proteins usually associated with substance addiction – such as heroin, cocaine or nicotine.
They found, however, that once salt was ingested, the withdrawal response stopped much more quickly than expected. Within ten minutes, the brain had stopped producing the proteins and returned to its normal state, even though the salt took much longer to be processed through the digestive system, enter the bloodstream and reach the brain.
The researchers also discovered that by blocking the brain’s addiction-related pathways, they could get the mice to consume less salt, actually decreasing the rodent’s appetite for sodium.