Is high salt intake inducing obesity via production of cortisol? A novel working hypothesis and pilot study

Evidence is growing that high salt intake is an independent risk factor for obesity, but the mechanisms are unknown. Our novel working hypothesis is that high salt intake drives cortisol production, which in turn, drives obesity. The current study aimed to demonstrate an acute cortisol response following a single high salt meal.

Eight participants (age 30.5 ± 9.8 years [mean ± SD], 50% female), consumed high salt (3.82 g; 1529 mg sodium) and low salt (0.02 g; 9 mg sodium) meals in a randomized cross-over design.

Urinary and salivary cortisol and plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) demonstrated order effects. When high salt was given second, there was a peak above baseline for urinary cortisol (26.3%), salivary cortisol (9.4%) and plasma ACTH (4.1%) followed by a significant decline in each hormone (treatment*time, F[9, 18] = 2.641, p = 0.038, partial η² = 0.569; treatment*time, F[12, 24] = 2.668, p = 0.020, partial η² = 0.572; treatment*time, F[12, 24] = 2.580, p = 0.023, partial η² = 0.563, respectively), but not when high salt was given first (p > 0.05 for all).

These intriguing findings provide partial support for our hypothesis and support a need for further research to elucidate the role of high salt intake in cortisol production and, in turn, in the aetiology of obesity.

ACTRN12623000490673; date of registration 12/05/2023; retrospectively registered.