In women, the balance of certain gut bacteria at the genus level (like Bacteroides and Prevotella) changes more with salt intake than broader bacterial groups, suggesting it could be a better clue to...

In women, eating more salt might change the balance of certain gut bacteria—lowering one type (Bacteroides) and raising another (Prevotella)—which could show up more clearly than other broader gut bug measurements.

Eating a lot of salt might change the balance of gut bacteria in both people and mice, increasing certain types that could raise the risk of heart problems.

Eating a lot of salt might slightly reduce the variety of gut bacteria in women, but the difference is so small it probably doesn’t matter for health.