Kids Eat Too Much Salt, CDC Finds

CHICAGO -- American children eat as much salt as adults – about 1,000 milligrams too much, or the same amount as in just one Big Mac. Extra salt is linked with higher blood pressure, even in kids, but government research says those who are overweight and obese may be most vulnerable to its effects.

The new findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

Previous research has shown similar results in adults but studies on salt, weight and blood pressure are scarce in children.

The CDC researchers looked at data on 6,200 kids aged 8 to 18 involved in 2003-08 national health surveys. The children were asked twice over several days to detail all foods they'd eaten the previous day; the researchers calculated salt intake from their answers.

Overall, 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.

CDC researcher Quanhe (SHWAH'-nuh) Yang says it's unclear 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.

Prehypertension and high blood pressure in children younger than 17 depend on age, height and gender.

In those 18 and up, readings between 120 over 80 and 140 over 90 are prehypertension; 140 over 90 and higher is high blood pressure.

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Comments

[Emm Snn]

11:59 AM on 10/16/2012

Eating too much is directly related to your emotions. 2 studies and Dr. Leankly showed that overeating is related to depression and abuses. In over 75% of people prior depression and abuses cause overeating. Most who suffer with obesity also have prior emotional problems that can lead to overeating and food addictions.

It is time to stop blaming all obesity on lack of will power; most overeating is from depression and emotional issues. The person wants to eat less but cannot

See here http://foodaddictions.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/depressiondepressed-and-eating-too-much/

[askskia]

06:01 PM on 09/22/2012

And yet if you walk into a grocery store its always the un-healthy foods that most of us can afford! If you want to spend money on all the so-called good for you foods, you'd better be prepared to get a whole lot less!

[dead55]

06:35 AM on 09/22/2012

This is not a government problem but a parent problem. If you have fat kids it is the parents fault. If the parents are fat it is the parents fault. Seems to be a theme her, take personal responsibility for yourself, children and family.

[Melinda P]

05:48 PM on 09/21/2012

well well well....see umm look, ALL THE FOOD WE BUY has salt in it. Some of us don't have the luxury of buying the $20 spaghetti noddles or the $30 deli meats that don't have salt in them. So if you just take the salt out of the damn stuff then things would be much better.

[Dede Eagleburger]

12:32 PM on 09/21/2012

okay, my daughter is one who likes to put salt on stuff but I keep telling her she isn't allowed to until she tries it first...then it's amazing when she sees how few things really need to have salt dumped all over them...!!

[totall]

05:23 PM on 09/20/2012

Mayor Bloomburgh gathering facts. He will soon outlaw all salt in resturants just like large sodas. If he has a problem enforcing the new rule he vowed to bring in joe arpaio and his band of merrymen.

[lorihokie]

04:31 PM on 09/20/2012

Amazing, the government continues to put the blame on individuals and tries to say "we told you so!" (and we only spent a million dollars on the study to tell you so!) and yet they do nothing to regulate the food industry. If salt is so bad, legislate it at the source! I live in MA and they force us to get our kids blood tested 3 times before the age of 5 to test for lead. Why? Because so many houses in this area are so old, and the poor people who rent have no control over the lead paint. Okay - so legislate the landlords! Don't tell the parents they have to traumatize their kids 3x just to make sure our kids aren't eating lead paint!
And all kids in preschool have to brush their teeth after lunch - because clearly the parents can't be trusted to make sure the kids brush at home. Seriously, it's a state law.
Guess what else they are considering? That brilliant plan NY put in place to ban the sale of sodas larger than 16 ounce. Yeah, because THAT will affect the obesity problem. If they want to spend tax dollars on awareness - public service campaigns, fine! Just stop legislating stuff like this!

[dead55]

06:38 AM on 09/22/2012

Personal responsibility is always better than government regulations. Parents are responsible for the childhood obesity problem in this country and nobody else.

[lorihokie]

10:29 AM on 09/22/2012

Oh I totally agree. But it seems the government is determined to do SOMETHING about it because they just can't seem to NOT do something, so I think instead of banning things and taking away individual liberties, they should either spend their time and money on education or cut it off at the source. It is our right (and responsibility) to eat whatever we want, but it is not necessarily the right of a corporation to put a "dangerous" product on the market (and apparently salt is the danger, according to this article). I feed my kids healthy, balance, non-processed foods, but every so often my husband and I enjoy chips with our sandwiches. Make those chips have less salt.
The problem here, is that salt is a natural preservative, so it's in EVERYTHING that needs to sit on the shelf or not rot between the factory/farm/whatever and the store and to our homes. And if you tell companies they can't use salt to preserve the food, they either have to use a chemical (no thank you!) or not make the product, or someone along the line is going to lose money when the shelf dates expire because people aren't buying the stuff fast enough. Ultimately, it's about money, not health.

[sanjagtl]

03:26 PM on 09/20/2012

Then STOP adding it to the foods we buy!!!!!

i don't add any salt to the foods I cook or eat since I figure there must be enough in it all ready.

[yttika1]

03:14 PM on 09/20/2012

People have been so hammered with information, they no longer listen. 190.2 BILLION dollars for health care related to obesity ALONE. Time to step away from the trough, folks!

[gizz4mo1]

08:59 PM on 09/19/2012

people eat too much salt, or sugar, or blah, blah, blah......where is the happy medium?

[deepintheheartoftejas]

08:50 PM on 09/19/2012

Another salt scare article?

Most of the "salt is bad" orthodoxy is based on very badly conducted studies from the mid 20th century. There are a large number of studies (primary and secondary) in both Europe and North America that contradict the notion that salt is a primary cause of high blood pressure. What's known is that, yes, certain types of hypertension are exacerbated by salt, but most of the increase in high blood pressure in the US is directly linked to weight, not salt intake.

But, please, don't take my word for it. Go read the actual peer-reviewed literature on the subject. I did that a number of years ago, and was satisfied enough to disregard the scare talk periodically published in popular news media.

As a non-taster, I tend to consume a lot more than the average amount, even for Americans. I like to salt most foods, and keep soy sauce on hand at my desk at work and at home. I did have problems with elevated blood pressure in my early 40s, but after I modified my diet and lost close to 80 pounds, I haven't had any at all. Salt makes things tasty!

[BethCK]

06:44 PM on 09/18/2012

Just about dietary advice can be boiled down (or should I say gently steamed?) to Michael Pollan's advice, "Eat foods. Not too much. Mostly plants." If we're going to feed our kids and ourselves chemical-laden fake foods and grab dinner from the drive through, should it be a shock that kids and adults are increasingly obese and unhealthy? Our healthcare system is overtaxed by people with nutrition and obesity-related chronic diseases. Yet, we still heavily subsidize the food mega businesses which make this food a cheap option (at least cheap for now.)

[homeimps]

02:44 PM on 09/18/2012

My parentss raised five of us. They bought the food, my Mom cooked it, and we ate it. The only way we could have developed harmful eating habits while children would have been for them to buy unhealthy food. We learned early on that a trip for ice cream or some other snack was a treat, and certainly not a daily, weekly or even monthly event. On our birthdays we were allowed to request out favorite meal but that was about the extent of our input. We also learned not to obsess about food as it was never talked about at any length and because we ate what I now know was a healthy diet, there was never talk about weight either. I know it's harder now with the constant barrage of TV ads and fast food joints but I believe it's still possible to steer kids' focus away from food and if we don't start taking them to the local drive-thru from the time they are old enough to chew, that can be a lot easier.

[ChauncyG]

02:21 PM on 09/18/2012

youve GOT to be kidding with this...we need the government to tell us this likes its some revelation?

go ahead parents...feed your kids all the preserved pre-packaged foods (that love to lie how healthy they are) that you want and then fast food and big sodas too! Youre the culrpits here, parents.

Buy foods in the natural form, whether fresh or frozen, and learn to cook them. Thats the ONLY ONLY ONLY way your child will have a healthy life.

[Wayne T]

10:49 PM on 09/18/2012

Considering the current obesity rate, I'm afraid the answer is yes we actually need the government to tell us this like its some revelation. Sad state of affairs, I know.

[lorihokie]

04:25 PM on 09/20/2012

you have a point - I live in MA where they are considering a ban on sodas larger than 16 ounces. what a waste of tax money to even have that discussion! what do they think will happen? people will all of a sudden realize they should drink less? or will they simply buy a 16 ounce and refill it a couple times? or is this a tax scheme to make consumers pay tax on 2 drinks instead of one? who knows.

[dead55]

06:39 AM on 09/22/2012

The only thing the government should do is beat parents that allow their children to become obese; this is a parental problem

[SisterAnn]

12:41 PM on 09/18/2012

I don't think salt is to blame. I drink a whole lemon in ice water and salt it a lot, everyday. I have very low blood pressure.

It may be different with different people. My blood pressure goes higher right after I eat a meal, but not much if I snack.

It could be salt that isn't overprocessed is better for us. I use both sea salt and iodized salt.

Have you noticed that it is what we enjoy that they focus and blame everything on.