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Scientists have found that teenagers who regularly eat fast foods show a higher preference for salt.

 

The study of 70 Korean teenagers (aged 12-13yrs) estimated food intakes using a food frequency questionnaire. Salt preference was determined by offering soups containing different levels of salt.

 

Teenagers with a higher preference for saltier soup were more likely to have a regular intake of salty fast foods, such as pizza and hamburgers. Although these are interesting findings, controlled research is now needed to establish if fast food consumption actually encourages a preference for salt or whether there is simply a non-causal association between the two.

 

For more information see: Kim et al. (2009) Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics Vol.22: pg 475-80.