Jul 03, 2015 11:06 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

A high salt diet could delay puberty, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Wyoming conducted a rat study and found that those fed a high salt diet, equivalent to three or four times the recommended consumption for humans, had a significant delay in reaching puberty compared to those fed a normal or low salt diet, The Eurasia Review reported.

"Our work shows that high levels of fat and salt have opposite effects reproductive health" said Ms Dori Pitynski, who led the study, said in a statement. "High-fat diet is thought to accelerate the onset of puberty but our work demonstrates that rats fed a high salt diet even with a high fat diet will still show a delay in puberty onset."

Based on the findings, Pitynski and her colleagues concluded that although salt intake is necessary for the onset of puberty, excess consumption of salt can adversely affect reproductive health, The Telegraph reported.

"Our research highlights for the first time that the salt content of a diet has a more significant effect on reproductive health than the fat content," Pitynski explained.

Sodium is a mineral that is found in a variety of foods, including milk, cream and eggs. It can also be found, in much higher amounts, in processed foods, such as bread, processed meats like bacon, snack foods as well as in condiments such as soy sauce and stock cubes; which are becoming more prevalent in the Western diet.

"Current salt-loading in Western populations has the potential to drastically affect reproductive health, and warrants further attention" Pitynski explained.

The findings were presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Dublin.

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