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24-h urinary sodium excretion is associated with obesity in a cross-sectional sample of Australian schoolchildren

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 January 2016

Carley A. Grimes*
Affiliation:
School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
Lynn J. Riddell
Affiliation:
School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
Karen J. Campbell
Affiliation:
School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
Feng J. He
Affiliation:
Centre for Environmental and Preventative Medicine, Wolfson Institute of Preventative Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
Caryl A. Nowson
Affiliation:
School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
*
* Corresponding author: C. A. Grimes, email carley.grimes@deakin.edu.au
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Abstract

Emerging evidence indicates that dietary Na may be linked to obesity; however it is unclear whether this relationship is independent of energy intake (EI). The aim of this study was to assess the association between Na intake and measures of adiposity, including BMI z score, weight category and waist:height ratio (WHtR), in a sample of Australian schoolchildren. This was a cross-sectional study of schoolchildren aged 4–12 years. Na intake was assessed via one 24-h urine collection. BMI was converted to age- and sex-specific z scores, and WHtR was used to define abdominal obesity. In children aged ≥8 years, EI was determined via one 24-h dietary recall. Of the 666 children with valid urine samples 55 % were male (average age 9·3 (sd 1·8) years). In adjusted models an additional 17 mmol/d of Na was associated with a 0·10 higher BMI z score (95 % CI 0·07, 0·13), a 23 % (OR 1·23; 95 % CI 1·16, 1·31) greater risk of being overweight/obese and a 15 % (OR 1·15; 95 % CI 1·09, 1·23) greater risk of being centrally obese. In the subsample of 8–12-year-old children (n 458), adjustment for EI did not markedly alter the associations between Na and adiposity outcomes. Using a robust measure of daily Na intake we found a positive association between Na intake and obesity risk in Australian schoolchildren, which could not be explained by total energy consumption. To determine whether this is a causal relationship, longitudinal studies, with high-quality measures of Na and EI, are required.

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Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2016 
Figure 0

Table 1 Descriptive characteristics of participants (Mean values and standard deviations; or numbers and percentages)

Figure 1

Table 2 Anthropometry and key characteristics by tertile (T) of 24-h urinary sodium (mmol/d) excretion in Australian schoolchildren by age group (Mean values with their standard errors; numbers and percentages; or medians and interquartile ranges (IQR))

Figure 2

Table 3 The association between 24-h urinary sodium excretion (17 mmol/d) and BMI z score in Australian schoolchildren by age group* (Regression coefficients and 95 % confidence intervals)

Figure 3

Table 4 The association between 24-h urinary sodium excretion (17 mmol/d) and weight category (underweight/healthy weight v. overweight/obese) in Australian schoolchildren, by age group *† (Odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals)

Figure 4

Table 5 The association between 24-h urinary sodium excretion (17 mmol/d) and abdominal obesity in Australian schoolchildren, by age group*† (Odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals)