New research published in the journal Hypertension shows that eating spicy food may "trick" the brain into craving less salt. Consuming too much salt is known to be bad for you. And according to a study recently covered by Medical News Today, too much sodium can significantly increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, and the mineral — which is usually derived from salt — can double the risk of heart failure. In fact, the effect of excessive sodium is thought to be so bad for the heart that the World Health Organization (WHO) believe that we should all lower our salt intake by 30 percent if we want to avoid chronic disease. The WHO also want tobacco use lowered by the same percentage. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that a high concentration of sodium in one's diet "can raise blood pressure," which is a "major risk factor for heart disease and stroke." The American Heart Association (AHA) also caution that people should not consume more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium every day. But is simply knowing that we need to cut down on salt enough to be able to do so? Not quite. Salt cravings are underpinned by a complex neurological process, parts of which we have only just started to identify.