For nutritionists, it’s the easier principle: If you want to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories.
But a new study published in the journal Pediatrics reveals that this isn’t the only way you’ll gain weight.
Studying a total of 760 teenagers of Caucasian and African descent, researchers from Georgia Regents University found that teenagers consumed an average of 3,280 milligrams of salt every day–more than double the amount recommended by the American Heart Association.
And this, researchers say, also increases their risk for obesity.
“Even after accounting for many other risk factors that could contribute to weight, we still found that higher dietary sodium among adolescents was independently associated with a higher risk for obesity,” says Dr. Haidong Zhu, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Georgia Regents University and lead author of the study. “We didn’t look at the mechanism behind this. Animal research does suggest that salt does directly increase obesity risk.”
Why Salt Makes You Fat
Studying nearly 800 teenagers in the Augusta, Georgia area, researchers examined two factors: Their salt intake and the rate of obesity, currently a serious issue in the southern United States. To do so, they interviewed the teenagers several times in a single week and asked them to recall what they ate the previous day, specifically focusing on how many sodas and calories they consumed.
In turn, researchers also evaluated their weight by measuring their height and weight to calculate their body mass index, something used to gauge a person’s obesity risk. Body fat percentages were also taken into account.
By the end of the week, the results were in, and they weren’t good: 97 percent of the teens surveyed exceeded the salt intake recommended by the American Heart Association. Those who consumed high levels of salt were also more likely to be overweight or obese, according to researchers.
“Obesity has a lot of contributing factors, including physical inactivity,” says Zhu. “We think that high sodium intake could be one of those factors. Our study adjusted for what these young people ate and drank and there was still a correlation between salt intake and obesity.”
In turn, obesity experts, such as University of Texas Southwestern dietitian Lona Sandon, says this should serve as a wake-up call for those trying to watch their weight.
“A poor-quality diet during childhood and adolescence leads to poor-quality health in adulthood,” says Sandon. “The best thing parents can do is to start by setting a good example by making healthier low-sodium food choices themselves. Then make an effort to provide low-sodium foods, meaning mostly fresh and minimally processed foods available for the whole family at home.”
Lesson here? Calories don’t just matter when it comes to fighting fat; the amount of salt you consume also matters. And it’s not just important for teens too–adults who don’t watch their salt intake have been shown in previous studies to have heart problems and weigh more.
Readers: Do you watch your salt intake? Why or why not?
Sources:
Teens Eating too Much Salt; Hiking Obesity Rate – WebMD.com
Study: Higher Salt Intake in Teens Correlated With Higher Obesity Risk – EurekAlert.org
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