Salt Intake During Pregnancy Affects Baby Kidney

Pregnant women are usually advised to control your Salt Intake because it can lead to leg swelling. It turned out that salt intake during pregnancy can also affect the development of the infant kidney. A new study has found that salt intake is either too little or too much during pregnancy can have substantial impact on kidney development of the fetus. Consequences obtained one of which is resulting in high blood pressure later in life.

Meanwhile, in previous studies has been known association between high blood pressure with a low nephron number. This is important because of the nephron is the basic structural and functional unit of the kidney, as quoted from MedIndia.

Researchers from the University of Heidelberg and the University of Aarhus conducted a study using rats given diets of low, medium and high sodium duringpregnancy and lactation.

Researchers will assess the structure of the kidney after 1-12 weeks after birth, and measures a protein known to be involved in the development of kidneys examined at birth and age 1 week. Another thing that also measured blood pressure is over the age of 2-9 months.

The result is the number of glomeruli (the main structural units of the kidney) for 1-12 weeks was significantly lower and blood pressure are higher if the mother ate small amounts of salt or too much, compared to normal. Such findings indicate that salt intake is too low and too high during pregnancy can inhibit the development of new glomerular nephrons formed so will a little. The study was published in the American Journal of Physiology-RenalPhysiology.

Still does not mean pregnant women should not eat salt at all, but could be reduced in number such as choosing to consume foods that are fresh rather than packaged or processed foods, and reduce the use of soy sauce andseasonings in every dish. Salt Intake