Salt intake in infants aged 6 to 12 months
What it found
Infants aged 6 to 12 months can process salt through their kidneys.
There is not enough proof that early salt leads to high blood pressure or a preference for salty food later.
What they found
Studies in people
Kidney function in infants
The kidneys of babies aged 6 to 12 months can handle getting rid of sodium properly.
Blood pressure and taste
There is not enough proof that eating more salt as a baby causes high blood pressure in adults. It also does not clearly lead to preferring salty foods later in life.
Risk of too little sodium
Babies aged 6 to 12 months might get only 150-300 mg of sodium per day if their extra food has no salt. This amount may not be enough for what their bodies need.
What the authors conclude
- They found that the usual advice to keep added salt away from babies lacks strong support.
- They point out that very low sodium intake could leave infants without enough to meet their needs.
How it was done
Most nutrition guidelines tell parents to avoid added salt for babies aged 6 to 12 months. The authors felt the reasons behind this advice lacked reliable evidence.
They searched medical databases and national institution websites for studies published between 1904 and 2021. They looked at clinical trials, reviews, observational studies and dietary guidelines about salt and infants.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This work gathered past studies rather than testing babies directly.
- It cannot prove on its own whether adding salt helps or harms infants over time.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
- Authors work at
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, China
The paper
- Title
- Avoidance of added salt for 6-12-month-old infants: A narrative review
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Yang S, Wang H (2023). Avoidance of added salt for 6-12-month-old infants: A narrative review. Archives de pediatrie. doi:10.1016/j.arcped.2023.08.009PubMed 37805298DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error