How too much salt may raise your risk of obesity

EATING too much salt may be a trigger for obesity – no matter how many calories of other food you consume.

British scientists found that every gram of salt eaten daily above their study’s average increased the risk of obesity by 25 per cent.

Even when the total amount of food consumed is taken into account, salt still seemed to be a major factor in weight.

This is the first study of its kind to link salt directly to obesity although doctors already know that salt consumption is linked to high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease.

Researchers could not be sure why salt has such a profound impact but suspect that it modifies the metabolism, altering the way the body absorbs fat.

The research used data for more than 450 children and 780 adults from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008/2009 to 2011/2012.

Experts led by Professor Graham MacGregor of Queen Mary University of London analysed urine samples over 24 hours and calculated calorie intake from a four-day diary.

The research in the journal Hypertension showed that salt intake in urine was higher in those who were overweight or obese. An extra gram of salt a day above the study average of 7.6g for adults and 5.5g for children led to a higher risk of being heavy.

Professor MacGregor, chairman of Consensus Action on Salt and Health, said the increase in ‘diet-related issues’ affecting health needed to be stopped.

The NHS advises having 6g of salt a day at most but figures show Britons typically eat 8.1g.

Professor Susan Jebb, a government advisor and diet expert at the University of Oxford, said the study was ‘weak’ as participants recorded themselves how much they ate. She stressed that the main cause of weight gain is eating too many calories.