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Reducing salt may help reduce obesity
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A good way to reduce childhood obesity would be to limit children’s salt intake, according to study data published online.
Caryl A. Nowson, PhD, of the Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia, and colleagues studied the consumption of dietary salt, fluid and sugar-sweetened beverages of more than 4,200 children aged 2 to 16 years.
Sixty-two percent of study participants reported consuming sugar-sweetened beverages. In this group, children who consumed more salt consumed more fluid and, in particular, more sugar-sweetened beverages; for every 1 g per day of salt, children consumed 17 g per day more of sugar-sweetened beverages.
Caryl A. Nowson
“It is well known that high salt diets are linked to raised blood in children, which is a major cause of future stroke and heart disease. Our findings indicate that a high salt diet may also be contributing to the rates of overweight and obesity through the greater consumption of sugary beverages,” Carley Grimes, BNutrDiet (Hons), and Nowson told Infectious Diseases in Childrenin a joint statement. “This reinforces the importance of reducing salt intake in children.”
The researchers reported that children who consumed more than one serving per day of sugar-sweetened beverages were 26% more likely to be overweight or obese.
The researchers noted some study limitations; specifically, that “the 24-hour dietary recall fails to capture the amount of salt coming from salt added at the table and during cooking and as such is likely to be an underestimation of the true value of salt intake.” They said despite the rigorous collection of dietary data within the study, it is understood that underreporting of energy intake is a common limitation of 24-hour dietary recalls.
Regardless of these limitations, Nowson and colleagues said their study adds to emerging evidence that a reduction in dietary salt intake may reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, which in turn may lower childhood obesity risk.
Caryl A. Nowson, PhD, can be reached at caryl.nowson@deakin.edu.au.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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