According to the study presented at the European Congress of endocrinology in Dublin, it was revealed that high salt diets may delay puberty, which in turn can lead to behavioural problems, stress and reduced fertility.

The researchers from the University of Wyoming, US led by Dori Pitynski investigated the effect of varying levels of dietary salt on the onset of puberty in rats. They found that rats fed a high salt diet had a significant delay in reaching puberty compared to those fed a normal (low) salt diet. Rats which excluded salt from their diet also had delayed puberty. The findings suggest that salt intake is necessary for onset of puberty but that excesses can affect reproductive health.

"Our research highlights for the first time that the salt content of a diet has a more significant effect on reproductive health than the fat content," said lead researcher Dori Pitynski from University of Wyoming in the US. "High fat diet is thought to accelerate the onset of puberty but our work demonstrates that rats fed with such a diet showed a delay in puberty onset," he added.

According to recent guidelines from WHO, it was stated that many people in the world are consuming more than the recommended amount. Sodium is naturally found in variety of foods like milk, cream and eggs. It is also found in much higher amounts in processed foods like bread, processed meats like bacon, snack foods and condiments. Usually WHO recommends daily allowance of 5g of salt per day for adults.

"Current salt-loading in Western populations has the potential to drastically affect reproductive health, and warrants further attention," Pitynski added.

By Lizitha