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TUESDAY, July 22, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Here's a new study that's full of salty language.
Researchers at the University of Iowa have identified certain proteins called ion channel proteins that play an important role in the salt-sensing ability of fruit flies, which respond to salt in a way similar to that seen in humans and other animals.
For example, fruit flies are attracted to low levels of salt but repelled by high salt levels.
Most of us use salt on our food simply because we enjoy the taste. But salt is also an essential nutrient. The ability to detect salt by taste is critical for survival. It's also important for animals to be able to sense when something is too salty because consuming high concentrations of salt may be potentially harmful.
"Given that salt is essential for survival, it is not surprising that animals have developed the ability to detect salt, even at low concentrations. This sense allows them to seek out, and then consume salt. We were interested in identifying the receptors that detect small quantities of salt," researcher Dr. Michael Welsh says in a statement.
Fruit flies were the ideal test subjects.
"In humans, the taste system is pretty much a puzzle because it is hard to study. But in fruit flies it is very easy to study and you can quickly test ideas. Also, fruit flies are a great genetic model where you can easily screen many different genes to determine what they do and how they interact," study lead author Lei Liu says.
Identifying the receptors involved in salt detection may help scientists develop salt substitutes that enhance the flavor of food. Or they could be used by people with health problems such as high blood pressure or heart failure who have to reduce their salt intake.
The study appears in the July 3 issue of Neuron.
More information
Here's where you can learn more about sodium and high blood pressure.
