Kids in the US are eating way too much salt. In fact, they are eating about 1,000 milligrams, which is about the salt content of a McDonald’s Big Mac. Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, obesity, and countless other health problems. The CDC&P (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) published the results, Monday, in the Journal of Pediatrics.
The CDC researchers found this information from following 6,200 U.S. kids aged 8 to 18 involved in 2003-08 national health surveys.
- 15 percent had either high blood pressure or slightly elevated blood pressure called prehypertension.
- Those who ate the most salt faced double the risk of having elevated blood pressure, compared with those who ate few salty foods. But among overweight or obese kids, the risk was more than triple.
- The recommended daily salt or sodium intake for kids and adults is no more than 1 teaspoon daily, or about 2,300 milligrams. On average, study kids ate 3,300 milligrams daily.
According to CDC researcher Quanhe Yang, says, “Even though it isn’t clear why heavier kids would be more sensitive to salt but it could be due to obesity-related hormone changes.”
The results raise concerns because studies have shown that elevated blood pressure in childhood, even just prehypertension, can lead to full-fledged high blood pressure in adulthood and potentially premature heart disease.
Do you monitor the amount of salt your child eats every day? Do you watch other food related issues like calories, sugar, etc.?
