In October 2015 researchers from the UK published the results of their study to assess whether salt intake was associated with obesity independent of energy intake. Energy intake was calculated using 4-day food diaries from 458 children (52% boys, average age 10 years) and 785 adults (47% men, average age 49 years) and salt intake by the sodium content in 24-hour urine collections. Results showed that salt intake was higher in overweight and obese individuals. A further analysis revealed that a 1g per day increase in salt intake was associated with a 28% increase in the risk of obesity in children and a 26% increase in adults. In addition, a higher salt intake was significantly related to higher body fat mass in both children and adults.
Ma Y et al. High salt intake: independent risk factor for obesity? Hypertension 2015;66:843-9.