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A drug has been developed to help control salt levels in the body
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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In the future, patients who need to strictly control their salt intake will be able to receive a special drug that reduces the amount of salt absorbed from food. Excess salt will simply be excreted from the body. Salt is dangerous for people with heart and kidney disease, and it is quite difficult to control the salt content in food. Most people consume an increased amount of salt. According to statistics, the average person eats about 9 g of salt with a recommended norm of 6 g, and in case of kidney failure or heart problems, it is recommended to limit yourself to 5 g.
Currently, specialists are busy conducting the first clinical trials of a new drug, trepanor, which was developed by one of the Californian companies. Initially, the drug was created for people with severe kidney diseases, but scientists believe that the drug can help people with other problems.
Trepanor slows down the inhibition of molecules in the intestine that transfer salt to other organs and systems of the body. Now scientists have managed to establish that the drug is able to reduce the salt content in the urine of healthy people by 1/3, while increasing its content in feces. In pharmacology, there is already a drug that works in a similar way - Orlistat, which prevents the absorption of fat in the intestine, which prevents the appearance of extra pounds. However, orlistat has several side effects: urinary incontinence and diarrhea.
As noted during the testing of Trepanor, the drug caused frequent and irregular contractions of the intestines, but the stool of all volunteers participating in the tests remained within normal limits. In this regard, scientists decided to test the drug on volunteers suffering from irritable bowel syndrome and frequent constipation. Since Trepanor does not enter the bloodstream, scientists assumed that there should be no severe side effects from using the drug.
Recently, experts have been concerned about the amount of salt consumed, which leads to increased blood pressure. However, a person cannot completely give up salt, since it is contained in almost all animal products (meat, fish), as well as bakery products and many finished products, in addition, salt regulates the water-electrolyte balance in the body and promotes the formation of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
Several years ago, experts already called on humanity to reduce its salt consumption, since excessive consumption can provoke stomach cancer. In addition to limiting salt in the diet, scientists called for changing the labeling on products to make information about products more understandable.
Eating salt in large quantities can cause hypertension, heart problems, and stroke. Now experts have added oncological diseases to the list. Scientists recommend limiting yourself to one teaspoon of salt per day and giving preference to fruits and vegetables in your diet.
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