Children who consume too much salt can delay puberty, suggests a University of Wyoming study published during the European Congress of Endocrinology, which ended in Dublin on Wednesday.
Reuter reports that the research was carried out on rats because for ethical reasons there was no other option. The lead author of the study, Dori Pitynski of the University of Wyoming (USA), says that the animals were fed a food with a salt content of 3-4 times the recommended value for humans.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the daily salt intake should not exceed 5 g (2000 mg of sodium), which is equivalent to one level teaspoon. In children from 1 to 3 years of age, the daily consumption should not exceed 1,9 g.
It is about the total amount of salt in your diet, including that found in ready-made foods. According to WHO, in individual countries, processed products are a source of 40-80 percent. daily diet salt.
Pitynski claims that the consumption of salt, which is almost pure sodium chloride, 3-4 times the recommended limits, significantly delayed the maturation of young rats. “Our studies have even shown that when there is too much of it in the diet, it suppresses the effects of fat, which in turn accelerates maturation” – emphasizes the specialist. It follows that the influence of salt on the ripening process is greater than that of fat.
The researcher notes that the complete withdrawal of salt and products containing it is not advisable, because it is needed in small amounts by the body, for example to stimulate the maturation process. Only too large amounts of it can show the opposite effect.
According to the Food and Nutrition Institute in Warsaw, a statistical Pole consumes almost 11 g of salt every day, which is more than twice as much as provided by WHO recommendations. Children who consume salt in excess in the first 2 years of life have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure later in life. At the same time, a preference for salty taste develops, which in turn perpetuates improper eating habits.