Viperin-taken down with a pinch of salt.

What to eat when you have a cold has always been the subject of much debate and advice, usually informed by very little science. However, in this issue of EMBO Reports, Yuan et al (2021) uncover an intriguing link between a high salt diet and a susceptibility to viral infection. Mice fed on a short-term high salt diet were found to carry a higher viral load than control mice fed a normal diet. The researchers trace this effect back to a salt-induced decrease in cellular levels of the antiviral protein, viperin. More generally, these studies provide further insights into the regulation of proteins involved in the cellular antiviral response.