Pathogenic bacteria, fungi (yeast), parasites, viruses, allergies and cancer all thrive on sugar, but hate salt. Part One: Bacteria

KILLING BACTERIAL INFECTION

SALT GOOD:

It would be unnecessary for me to go into details about salt being anti-bacterial and sugar promoting bacterial overgrowth. It's ubiquitous knowledge. You could go to the store right now and buy saline wound cleaner. Or sea salt mouth wash. You won't find sugar-water wound cleaner or sugar-infused mouth wash. Some inaccurate media I wanted to point out regarding salt and staph, however.

A 2019 article on ABC News: Eczema: New Research Shows Salt May Play a Role in Flare-Ups was discussing research about how atopic dermatitis and eczema rashes ("genetic" predispositions to sensitive skin) were found to have staph bacteria and highly elevated levels of salt at the site of irritation. The MD in the article states she tells patients with eczema to cut out salt, citrus, nuts, preservatives and food dyes (no mention of carbohydrates or sugar) for three to four weeks to see if that helps. She also said the area infected with eczema has high concentrations of salt because "lots of salt promotes the growth of a bad bacteria called staph aureus which we find in patients who have really bad flare ups of eczema." Contrarily, the 2015 study Cutaneous Na+ Storage Strengthens the Antimicrobial Barrier Function of the Skin and Boosts Macrophage-Driven Host Defense determined: "Na+ accumulates in infected skin in humans and mice and creates a hypertonic microenvironment increasing NO production in macrophages to facilitate pathogen removal. High-salt diet promotes skin Na+ accumulation, which boosts macrophage activation and helps resolve bacterial infection." Salt is our Earth-given natural antibiotic. Salt isn’t causing staph, in fact, your body is using all the salt reserves it can get to fight for you! All the way back in 1964 a paper called Tolerance of Staphylococcus Aureus to Sodium Chloride determined sodium chloride kills staphylococcus aureus in an hour or less. Staph is most definitely not a fan of salt. I think of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. We hates it forever! Studies like Effect of Sodium Chloride on the Staphylococcal Growth in Milk and Effect of Sodium Chloride on Staphylococcus-Phage Relationships show that the higher the salt concentration, the more the bacterial growth is repressed. There's much more literature demonstrating that point, and that's across the board for parasites as well. They're actually trying to end malaria for good by using a drug that deactivates the cellular sodium pump the parasite uses to survive, thereby killing it with salt. I'll have a whole post on parasites later. They hate salt forever, too! It sounds like patients possibly don't have enough salt reserves to fight the infection. Why would that be?

SUGAR BAD:

What's interesting is that staph aureus will form antibiotic-resistant biofilms in a high glucose environment. See High Glucose Concentration Promotes Vancomycin-Enhanced BioFilm Formation of Vancomycin-Non-Susceptible Staphylococcus Aureus in Diabetic Mice and Biofilm Formation by Staphylococcus Aureus Clinical Isolates is Differentially Affected by Glucose and Sodium Chloride Supplemented Culture Media. Excess glucose is what can be prohibiting salt from working at lower concentrations. I believe a more relevant line of questioning to ask patients is: how much salt/potassium/magnesium-flushing caffeine, alcohol, plain water after sweating or intense exercise, processed carbohydrates and refined sugar do you consume? 

The 2020 paper Corrected Sodium Levels for Hyperglycemia is a Better Predictor than Measured Sodium Levels for Clinical Outcomes Among Patients with Extreme Hyperglycemia states: "Hyperglycemia is associated with a decrease in serum sodium concentration. Water moves from the intracellular space to the extracellular space along the osmotic gradient, subsequently causing a reduction in the serum sodium level. Therefore, hyperglycemic patients are mostly mildly hyponatremic."

Side note: For a couple of months prior to my DKA diagnosis, I was so fatigued and every day felt like one long extreme panic attack, so I decided to "detox" my body by drinking (besides black organic morning coffee) only the cleanest distilled water. Drinking lots of plain water is good for you, right? Well now I was really dying. According to my hospital records: "New diagnosis of late-onset type 1 diabetes presenting with acute diabetic ketoacidosis, with profound acidosis and critical electrolyte abnormalities. Patient is critically ill with potential for rapid decompensation." I actually laugh about the distilled water thing now because I just always have to go down hard, I always have to make the exact wrong decision.

Salt sensitivity is prevalent with the insulin resistant and diabetic. It’s imperative to balance potassium and sodium in this population to avoid cardiovascular complications. In others, two perfectly healthy kidneys regulate salt in the body and usually a desire to drink plain water will come to healthy people who over-consume salt. Those with salt-flushing Addison's disease want all the olives, they want to drink canned gravy. Diabetics and the insulin resistant can keep their blood sugar tightly controlled and supplement potassium to off-set salt sensitivity and improve kidney function. 

When I think about these slimy, sugar-slurping biofilms blocking bacterial and parasitic annihilation, I'm reminded of Will in Stranger Things talking about the demon living inside of him. "He likes it cold," he says, with no shirt on in a freezing house. Well, next time someone is biting into a donut and drinking a Mountain Dew, just remember: "He likes it sweet."