Aging May Worsen The Effects Of A High-Salt Diet, Georgetown University Study

Aging is associated with a number of changes that cause the body to function less efficiently, including the way the body controls water and sodium levels. Research has shown that as humans and animals age, they are less able to regulate sodium and water retention, urine concentration and thirst compared to their younger counterparts. A new article in the American Journal of Physiology—Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology finds that age significantly impaired the ability of rats to get rid of excess sodium when exposed to a high-salt diet. These findings could have implications for salt consumption in the elderly; they suggest older people could be at greater risk for the negative consequences of consuming a high-salt diet.