Association between Urinary Sodium Excretion and Body Fat in School-Aged Children: Insights from the ARIA Study

TL;DR

This study found that higher sodium excretion in children is linked to increased body fat percentage, independent of energy intake and potassium levels.

Contribution

The study provides novel evidence linking urinary sodium excretion to body fat in children, independent of energy intake and potassium.

Findings

Higher urinary sodium excretion was significantly associated with higher body fat percentage in children.

This association remained after adjusting for energy intake, potassium, and other confounders.

No significant association was found between urinary sodium and BMI.

Abstract

Childhood obesity has been associated with increased sodium intake. Nonetheless, evidence linking sodium intake to Body Mass Index (BMI) and Body Fat Mass Percentage (%BF) remains limited, especially in the pediatric age group. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether there is an association between 24 h urinary sodium excretion with BMI and %BF in a sample group of children from the ARIA study. This cross-sectional analysis included 303 children aged 7 to 12 from across 20 public schools in Porto, Portugal. Weight and %BF were assessed using the Tanita™ BC-418 Segmental Body Analyzer. Children’s Total Energy Intake (TEI) was estimated through a single 24 h Recall Questionnaire, and urinary sodium and potassium excretion was estimated by a 24 h urine collection. The association of %BF and BMI with 24 h sodium excretion was estimated by a binary logistic regression adjusted for sex, age, physical activity, total energy intake, parental education, and 24 h urinary excreted potassium. There was a significant positive association between higher levels of urinary sodium excretion and higher %BF values, even after adjusting for confounders. However, the same was not observed for BMI. Our findings suggest that higher sodium intake is associated with higher values of %BF among children, regardless of TEI and potassium intake.

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