Salt and childhood
obesity
New research shows that reducing salt in children's
diets could also lower rates of childhood obesity.
We know that cutting back on salt is a smart move
when it comes to health, but as new research proves, it can have another
benefit - reducing the incidence of obesity in children.
The research, carried out in the UK and published by the American Heart
Association, showed that children who eat a lot of salt also drink more
fluids - typically soft drinks, which are full of kilojoules and
offer no nutritional value.
The research analysed data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey
conducted in the UK. As part of the survey, the salt and fluid intakes
of more than 1600 boys and girls aged four to 18 were recorded over
a week.
The survey found that children whose diets were lower in salt also
drank fewer sugary drinks, and that halving the current average daily
salt intake of six grams a day could lead to about 1000 fewer kilojoules
consumed each week in the form of soft drinks.
The benefits are twofold: the less salt in a child's diet, the
better in terms of their blood pressure; and the fewer sugar-filled
drinks a child consumes, the less risk they have of becoming overweight
or obese.
It's not just salt added in cooking or at the table that's
the problem, but the high levels of sodium present in manufactured food.
Unfortunately, parents are often unaware of the amount of salt their
child is getting from many foods, especially from unexpected sources
such as sweet foods, according to research from the UK by a group called
Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH).
The recommended upper daily intake of salt for children depends on
their age.
- For infants aged one to three, it's 2.5g of salt a day.
- For children four to eight years old, it's 3.5g.
- Aged 9 to 13, it's 5g a day.
- For teenagers up to 18, it's 5.75g a day.
To find out more about the salt content of some of
the foods marketed to children, see choicefoodforkids.com.au.
Media Release courtesy of CHOICE.
Release Date: 15th April 2008
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