Puberty Delayed By High Salt Intake

by Monica Joshi

Americans consume approximately 3,300 miligrams of sodium per day. While the U.S. dietary guidelines recommend that people limit the salt in their diet to 2,300 miligrams a day, 9 out of 10 Americans still consume too much salt. The ill-effects of too much sodium in our diet is well known and yet we need more to convince us that we should limit our intake. New research has found that in addition to bloating and intense dehydration, high sodium levels can also negatively affect puberty.

Researchers from the University of Wyoming found that consuming three times the recommended daily allowance of salt in humans can cause a significant delay in reaching puberty compared to those who are fed a low salt diet.

To date, research has been done on the effect of varying levels of dietary fats on puberty, but none on the effect of dietary salt. Led by Dori Pitynski, the new research showed that high levels of fat and salt have opposing effects on reproductive health.

Pitynski claims that:

"[A] High fat diet is thought to accelerate the onset of puberty but our work demonstrates that rats fed a high salt diet even with a high fat diet will still show a delay in puberty onset."

Surprisingly, the study not only showed that the rats who were fed a high salt diet had delayed puberty, but also that a no-salt diet had a significant delay in puberty. The study, however, only shows the relationship between salt intake and puberty in rats and not in humans, just yet.

In a meta-analysis of seven studies involving 6,250 subjects, The American Journal of Hypertension has found no strong evidence that cutting salt intake reduces the risk for heart attacks, strokes or death in people with normal to high blood pressure. This research was meant to conclude that the much-hyped idea that we need to limit our salt intake is not based in fact. On the other hand, it seems like this new study might put a dent in their analysis as the study could show a very serious relationship between salt intake, or lack thereof, and fertility.

In addition to the delay in puberty, too much or no salt can lead to behavioural issues, stress and reduced fertility. While sodium is found naturally in a variety of foods like milk, cream and eggs, it is also found in processed foods including bread, beef jerky, soy sauce and stock cubes. To help teens and preteens handle the changes in their bodies, it is recommended that their diet is rich with fruit and vegetables.