Almost half of daily intake comes from the 10 foods they eat most
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Sept. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Nine out of 10 American kids eat more salt than they should, raising their lifelong risk of high blood pressure and heart disease, a new federal government report shows.
On average, kids aged 6 to 18 eat 3,300 milligrams of sodium a day, even before salt is added at the table, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. Current dietary guidelines recommend that children eat less than 2,300 milligrams per day.
These high salt consumption levels are already affecting kids' health, said CDC Deputy Principal Director Ileana Arias.
"One in six children already has raised blood pressure, which can result in high blood pressure in adulthood, as we know a major cause of heart disease and stroke," Arias said. "This is incredibly concerning to us."
About 43 percent of the salt ingested by children comes from the 10 foods they eat most often, the CDC found.
These foods include pizza, bread and rolls, cold cuts and cured meats, savory snacks, sandwiches, cheese, chicken patties and nuggets, pasta dishes, Mexican dishes and soups.
"Some of these foods may not taste salty but they are top contributors because they do have significant sodium content, and children eat a lot of them," Arias said.
All this salt not only harms a child's immediate health, but can also shape their future dietary habits.
"We know that the taste for salt is established through diet at a young age," Arias said. "Not only are children eating too much sodium, they are establishing a high threshold or taste for salt beyond childhood."
One expert agreed that the long-term effects are worrisome.
"Though kids do not have the same short-term risks from high-salt diets that adults do, as with all aspects of childhood nutrition, the foods our children eat now affect the choices they will go on to make as adults," said Dr. Erica Brody, a pediatrician in the department of pediatrics at the Kravis Children's Hospital at Mount Sinai in New York City. "This includes excessive sugars, fats and, of course, salt as well."
The findings may lead some parents to yank the salt shaker from the dining room table, but that's only part of the problem, Arias said.
Most sodium is already in food before it is purchased or ordered, the researchers added. Approximately 65 percent comes tucked inside store foods, 13 percent from fast food and pizza restaurant foods, and 9 percent from school cafeteria foods.
Parents can help their kids by reading nutrition labels in the supermarket and asking for nutrition information at restaurants, Arias said.
"By paying attention to nutrition labels, you can easily reduce the amount of sodium you're eating every day," she said.
source : Nine of 10 American Kids Eat Too Much Salt: CDC
