By Anna Boyd
British researchers warn that a diet with high levels of salt can raise children’s blood pressure, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease later in life.
A study published in the Journal of Human Hypertension shows that children’s favorite supermarket foods and snacks contain higher levels of salt than those recommended by health experts.
Researchers with the Department of Health looked at 2,127 British children aged 4 to 18, monitoring their daily salt intake. This did not include salt added in cooked meals or at the table.
The specialists found that the average four-year-old consumed 4.7g of salt a day, when only 2-3g of salt is recommended for this age group, the Journal of Human Hypertension reports.
The researchers showed in their study that each extra gram of salt eaten raised blood pressure significantly, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke during adulthood. The children who ingested the highest amounts of salt also had the highest levels of blood pressure.
The Food Standards Agency in the UK is once again urging consumers to read products’ labels and check the levels of salt, even in products such as corn flakes, where one would not expect to find salt.
Earlier this year, the agency released the results of tests conducted on more than 1,000 adults, which showed that British adults consume an average 9g of salt each day. The FSA recommends a maximum of 6g per day.
At the time, FSA chairperson Dame Deirdre Hutton said the general population needed to reduce its salt intake in order to prevent serious health problems. High blood pressure is at least partly to blame for 170,000 deaths in England each year, the FSA report said.
The agency recommends that younger children receive less salt than older ones. Babies under 6 months should receive less than 1 g of salt daily, while babies 7 to 12 months should receive a maximum of 1g.
Children 1 to 3-years-old should have a maximum of 2g per day, while 4 to 6-year-olds 3g, 7 to 10 year-olds 5g and 11 to 14-year-olds a maximum 6g.
Excessive salt consumption has been linked to conditions such as asthma, osteoporosis, stomach cancer and hypertension (high blood pressure).
Jo Butten of Consensus Action on Salt and Health said of the recent study: “The message for parents is to check labels, especially on foods such as breakfast cereals and snack products, which they may not expect to contain high levels of salt, and choose the lower salt options.
“It may be difficult for parents to tell their children they can't have crisps every day, or that they need to eat a different breakfast cereal, or that some instant noodles should be avoided completely, but surely it's a small price to pay to reduce their risk of having a heart attack or stroke when they are older?”
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