CONSUMING SALT CAUSES OBESITY IN ADOLESCENTS
Adolescents
consuming more than twice the recommended daily allowance of salt increases
their high sodium intake that correlates with fatness and inflammation
regardless of how many calories they consume, a new study has found.
In the study of 766 healthy teens, 97 percent self-reported
exceeding the American Heart Association’s recommendation of consuming less
than 1,500 milligrams of sodium daily.on regardless of how many calories they
consume, a new study has found.
“The majority of studies in humans show the more food you eat,
the more salt you consume, the fatter you are,” Dr. Haidong Zhu, molecular
geneticist at the Medical College of Georgia and Institute of Public and
Preventive Health at Georgia Regents University, said.
“Our study adjusted for what these young people ate and drank
and there was still a correlation between salt intake and obesity,” Zhu said.
These high-sodium consumers also had high levels of tumor
necrosis factor alpha, which is secreted by immune cells and contributes to
chronic inflammation as well as autoimmune diseases like lupus and arthritis.
Additionally, the adolescents had high levels of leptin, a
hormone produced by fat cells that normally suppresses appetite and burns fat,
but at chronically high levels can have the opposite effects.
“Losing weight is difficult, but hopefully more people can be
successful at reducing their sodium intake,” Zhu, the study’s corresponding
author, said.
Reductions would result from not automatically adding salt to
food and choosing fresh fruits and vegetables over French fries and processed
meats and snacks.
The study is published in the journal Pediatrics.
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