Nutrition Research and Practice · 6 authors, 6 centres
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This study synthesized systematic reviews to compare how different sodium intake assessment methods affect the observed link between sodium intake and obesity. It found that cross-sectional studies show a positive association, but the strength of this link is greatest when using 24-hour urine collection and lowest with dietary methods.
This research is a systematic review and re-meta-analysis of three systematic reviews, encompassing 39 observational studies and 15 RCTs. It investigated the association between dietary sodium intake and obesity-related outcomes (BMI, body weight, waist circumference, risk of obesity) in adults, focusing on differences based on the method used to assess sodium intake. The central finding is a consistent positive association between sodium intake and obesity outcomes in cross-sectional studies, but the magnitude varied significantly by assessment method. For BMI, studies using 24-hour urine collection reported a mean difference of 2.27 kg/m², compared to 1.34 kg/m² for spot urine and 0.85 kg/m² for dietary methods. Limitations include a search limited to PubMed and potential uncontrolled confounding in some observational studies. The authors conclude that 24-hour urine is the gold standard for assessing sodium intake, as other methods may underestimate its association with obesity.
