The relationship between excess sodium intake and metabolic syndrome: Worth consideration?

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing worldwide. The change in nutrition and eating patterns contributes partly to this rise. On the other hand, increased sodium intake is common in most of the world. There are some studies showing that increased sodium intake may be associated with MetS.

To provide an overview of the current evidence regarding the relationship between excess sodium/salt intake and MetS, we performed a literature search of PubMed/Medline, Web of Science and Google Scholar until October 2024 to recruit studies examining the relationship between sodium/salt intake and MetS.

Our review showed that most but not all cross-sectional studies have shown that excess sodium/salt intake is associated with the presence of MetS. Additionally, few longitudinal studies also demonstrated that excess sodium intake is related with the development of new MetS. These studies are mostly observational, and mechanistic studies explaining underlying mechanisms are lacking. The most correlated components of MetS associated with high salt intake were blood pressure and waist circumference, while the correlations between HDL-C, TG and FG were variable.

These findings suggest that excess sodium/salt intake may be a risk factor for the development of MetS.