American Kids Eat Too Much Salt

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American Kids Eat Too Much Salt

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Hypertension | Public Health | Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 17 Sep 2012

American children consume as much salt each day as adults do, researchers from the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, reported in the journal Pediatrics.

The authors added that high salt intake is linked to hypertension in children and adolescents.

The team gathered data on sodium consumption and body weights of 6,235 Americans children and teenagers. They had set out to determine what effect salt intake and bodyweight might have on blood pressure.

They reported that boys tend to consume more sodium than girls.

Researchers in April 2012 found that salt levels in fast foods are much higher in North America than in the UK.

What is the difference between salt and sodium

Common table salt is a chemical compound called sodium chloride, or NaCL. Na stands for sodium and CL stands for chlorine. Salt consists of 40% sodium and 60% chlorine.

Doctors, nutritionists and public health authorities focus on the sodium in salt, because it is that component which can lead to health problems. 6 grams of salt contains approximately 2.4 grams of sodium.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), bread and rolls contribute to more salt intake in the USA than potato chips and other salty snacks.

American bread is very high in salt

Childhood sodium intake linked to higher hypertension risk

The researchers found that children with higher sodium intakes had a higher risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension). The link was even stronger among obese or overweight children.

Approximately 37% of the 6,235 kids in the study were either overweight or obese - 15% of them had either high or elevated blood pressure.

The authors wrote that interventions to reduce sodium consumption in children, as well as raising physical activity may help reduce the growing rates of high and elevated blood pressure in American children and teenagers.

What is blood pressure?

Blood pressure is mainly produced when the heart contracts - it is the pressure of blood that presses against the walls of the blood vessels.

When we measure somebody's blood pressure, we take two readings:

Systolic pressure - the higher reading. This is the pressure on vessel walls when the heart contracts.

Diastolic pressure - the lower reading. This is the pressure on the vessel walls just before the heart contracts; when the heart is resting.

The heart is a muscle that pumps blood around the human body during every second of our lives. Blood which is low in oxygen is pumped towards the lungs, where it becomes oxygen-rich again. The heart pumps oxygen-rich blood around the body to supply cells, organs, muscle and tissue. This pumping action generates blood pressure.

If either systolic or diastolic pressure is too high, the patient has hypertension, or high blood pressure. Both the high and low readings are important. In order to accurately measure a patient's blood pressure, they need to be completely relaxed, sitting or lying down comfortably. The arm must be well supported.

What is a healthy blood pressure reading in children?

Height plays a major effect on blood pressure in kids - taller children have higher blood pressure readings. A normal range for children takes into account their sex, height and age:

Children aged from 3 to 5 years

Upper limit for normal systolic pressure - 104 to 116

Upper limit for diastolic pressure - 63 to 74

Children aged from 6 to 9 years

Upper limit for normal systolic pressure - 108 to 121 for the upper limit of normal systolic pressure

Upper limit for normal diastolic pressure - 71 to 81

Children aged from 10 to 15 years

Upper limit for normal systolic pressure - 114 to 127

Upper limit for normal diastolic pressure - 77 to 83

Chronic hypertension can lead to several illnesses, conditions and early death

High blood pressure, also called hypertension is a condition where blood pressure in the blood vessels is persistently high. If blood pressure is excessively high, the heart needs to work harder to pump blood around the body, leading to a higher risk of organ damage and other illnesses, such as stroke heart failure, aneurysm, renal failure, heart attack and stroke.

If a child has hypertension, their risk of health complications are even greater when they reach adulthood. Obese people with hypertension also have a higher risk of developing diabetes type 2.

Some illnesses and conditions linked to hypertension

In 2010, scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, found that teenagers who consume the recommended quantities of salt each day have a significantly lower chance of developing hypertension, heart disease, stroke, or dying prematurely later on in life, compared to those who ignore national guidelines.

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: MediLexicon International Ltd

Original article posted on Medical News Today.
Articles not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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