Obese teenagers with high salt intake age faster than their peers, a new study has found.

Telomeres are the  caps at the ends of chromosomes that protect genetic information on the chromosomes.  Length of telomeres can give an idea about cell aging. Previous research has shown that following an unhealthy lifestyle, smoking and even depression can shorten telomere length. In the current study, researchers found a link between salt intake and shorter telomeres.

"Lowering sodium intake, especially if you are overweight or obese, may slow down the cellular aging process that plays an important role in the development of heart disease," said Haidong Zhu, lead author of the study and assistant professor of pediatrics at Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University in Augusta, Ga.

The study was conducted on 766 teenagers aged between 14 and 18 years. Researchers divided participants into two groups depending on their daily sodium intake. High salt intake teens consumed some 4,142 mg/day while those in low sodium group obtained 2,388 mg/day from their diet. American Heart Association recommends people to limit their sodium consumption to 1,500 mg/day.

Researchers found that overweight or obese children belonging to the high-salt intake group had shorter telomeres than their peers.

"Even in these relatively healthy young people, we can already see the effect of high sodium intake, suggesting that high sodium intake and obesity may act synergistically to accelerate cellular aging," Zhu said in a news release.

The study was presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology & Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity & Metabolism Scientific Sessions 2014.

High level of salt intake isn't limited to teenagers, but affects people of all ages, According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average sodium intake for Americans age 2 years and older is 3,436 mg per day, far higher than salt intake recommended by AHA.

A recent study said that eating too much salt was linked with 2.3 million deaths around the world in the year 2010.