Higher dietary sodium intake has been associated with an increased risk and severity of atopic dermatitis (AD), according to new research in JAMA Dermatology.
Researchers for the cross-sectional analysis examined 215,832 participants aged 37-73 years from a UK Biobank cohort using 24-hour urine sodium excretion as an estimate of dietary sodium intake. The primary outcome of interest was the presence of diagnosed AD as diagnosed.
According to the findings, a 1-gram increase in estimated daily urinary sodium excretion was linked to an 11% higher likelihood of developing AD (adjusted OR [AOR] = 1.11; 95% CI, 1.07-1.14). Furthermore, this increase in sodium intake was also associated with higher odds of active AD (adjusted OR = 1.16; 95% CI, 1.05-1.28) and increasing severity of the condition (adjusted OR = 1.11; 95% CI, 1.07-1.15). A validation cohort from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) consisting of 13,014 participants confirmed the association, showing in its cohort that a 1-gram per day higher dietary sodium intake, as estimated by dietary recall questionnaires, correlated with a 22% increased risk of current AD (adjusted OR = 1.22; 95% CI, 1.01-1.47).
"These findings suggest that restriction of dietary sodium intake may be a cost-effective and low-risk intervention for AD," the authors concluded in the study.
Source: Chiang B, et al. JAMA Dermatology. 2024. Doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2024.1544