title: Estimated daily salt intake in relation to blood pressure and blood lipids: the role of obesity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Excessive salt intake causes increased blood pressure which is considered the leading risk for premature death. One major challenge when evaluating associations between daily salt intake and markers of non-communicable diseases is that a high daily salt intake correlates with obesity, which is also a well described risk factor for poor cardiometabolic outcome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of estimated daily salt intake with blood pressure and blood lipids and to investigate the effect of taking different measures of obesity into account.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 3294 men and women aged 18-69 years from a general population based study in Copenhagen, Denmark. Estimated 24-hour sodium excretion was calculated by measurements of creatinine and sodium concentration in spot urine in combination with information of sex, age, height and weight. The relations of estimated 24-hour sodium excretion with blood pressure and blood lipids were evaluated by linear regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The daily mean estimated intake of salt was 10.80 g and 7.52 g among men and women, respectively. Daily salt intake was significantly associated with blood pressure (β-estimates 1.18 mm Hg/g salt (systolic) and 0.74 mm Hg/g salt (diastolic), p < 0.0001) - however this association was markedly affected by adjustment for obesity (β-estimates around 0.60 mm Hg/g salt (systolic) and around 0.25 mm Hg/g salt (diastolic), p < 0.05). Also associations between daily salt intake and blood lipids were highly affected by adjustment for obesity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Associations of estimated daily salt intake with blood pressure and blood lipids were highly affected by adjustment for obesity.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Prevention and Health, Glostrup University Hospital, Denmark betina.heinsbaek.thuesen@regionh.dk.
authors.forename: Betina H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Thuesen
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Prevention and Health, Glostrup University Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ulla
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Toft
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Prevention and Health, Glostrup University Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lone P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Buhelt
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Prevention and Health, Glostrup University Hospital, Denmark Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Department of Clinical Experimental Research, Glostrup University Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Linneberg
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Nele
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Friedrich
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nauck
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wallaschofski
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Prevention and Health, Glostrup University Hospital, Denmark Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Faculty of Medicine, Aalborg University, Denmark.
authors.forename: Torben
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016014:Linear Models; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012964:Sodium / Q000652:urine; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000652:urine; D016482:Urinalysis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008055:Lipids; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; D012964:Sodium
keywords: Salt; adults; blood lipids; blood pressure; epidemiology; obesity; spot urine