Dietary Sodium Intake Linked to Increased Atopic Dermatitis Risk

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