New Studies/Research
Need to Reduce Sodium Intake? Herbs and Spices May Help
Adding herbs and spices to most meals may help decrease the amount of sodium people consume on a daily basis, according to a new study presented at the American Heart Association’s (AHA’s) Epidemiology and Prevention | Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism Scientific Sessions 2014. To reduce sodium intake, individuals often must adhere to a strict diet of fresh foods and home-cooked meals. Because this poses a difficult challenge for some individuals, the researchers set out to discover whether certain interventions could help. Half of the study participants were given simple brochures instructing them how to eat a low sodium diet at home, while the other half were enrolled in a program with the goal of reducing their sodium intake using spices and herbs to flavor food. The daily sodium intake of the program group was an average of 966 milligrams lower than that of the brochure group. – Fox News
Sodium May Make Overweight and Obese Teens Age Faster
Overweight or obese teenagers who had a high sodium diet had shorter telomeres—the protective caps at the end of chromosomes—than those who ate a low sodium diet, and the reduced telomere length may speed up the aging process, according to a new study presented at AHA’s Epidemiology and Prevention | Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism Scientific Sessions 2014. Each time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter, and when they get too short, the cell stops dividing and dies. High levels of body fat were already known to hasten the shortening of telomeres, but the new study found that sodium seems to work hand in hand with obesity to speed up the effect further. Overweight or obese teenagers who consumed the most sodium (more than 4,100 milligrams per day) had significantly shorter telomeres than those who consumed the least (less than 2,400 milligrams per day). However, high sodium intake did not have a significant effect on telomere shortening in teens who were not overweight or obese. – The Telegraph
Sweet, Salty Taste Preferences Linked in Children
Children who most prefer high levels of sweet tastes also most prefer high levels of salty tastes, and children prefer sweeter and saltier tastes than do adults, according to a new study published online in the journal PLoS One. Taste preferences were linked to growth and development: Children who were tall for their age preferred sweeter tastes, and those with higher amounts of body fat preferred saltier tastes. Learning more about the biology behind children’s preferences for sweet and salty tastes is an important first step in finding ways to reduce their intake of sugar and salt, the researchers noted. – HealthDay