Salt might help fight viruses like coronaviruses in lab tests, and this could be why people feel better when they use salt-based treatments.

69

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

69

Community contributions welcome

69

Hypertonic saline nasal irrigation and gargling should be considered as a treatment option for COVID-19

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2020 Jun

The study found that salt water can kill viruses like coronaviruses in lab tests and helps people feel better faster when used as a nasal rinse or gargle, which matches the claim about salt's antiviral effects.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Hypertonic saline nasal irrigation and gargling should be considered as a treatment option for COVID-19

Score: 69

DOI: 10.7189/jogh.10.010332

Similar Assertions

Salt fights viruses by working inside your cells while the virus is copying itself, not by directly killing the virus or stopping it from entering cells.

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Salt's ability to fight viruses depends on how chloride moves inside cells, not sodium. When chloride movement is blocked, salt can't stop viruses, but blocking sodium movement doesn't change salt's virus-fighting power.

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Salty water might help your body's cells fight off viruses better by boosting natural defenses, which could explain why saline treatments work in some medical trials, but more research is needed to be sure.

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