High Salt Diets Bring Risk of High Blood Pressure in Children

British researchers recently revealed the results of a study that showed high salt diets in children leads to raised blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke later in life. The results were published in the Journal of Hypertension, and showed that for each extra gram of salt eaten there was a 0.4mmHg (millimeters of mercury) increase in systolic blood pressure.

Malcolm Law, a professor of preventative medicine at the University of London's Wolfson Institute of Preventative Medicine, said:

"This is an important finding which confirms that eating more salt increases blood pressure in childhood. The differences in systolic blood pressure between children with higher and lower salt diets may appear small, but making reductions of this order in childhood is likely to translate into lower levels of blood pressure in adult life, with reduced risk of developing heart disease and stroke and potentially huge gains in public health being possible."

They are now urging parents to read the labels, especially in foods where you wouldn't expect a lot of salt, such as cereals. The Food Standards Agency in the UK recommends that younger children receive less salt than older ones. Children 1 to 3-years-old should have a maximum of 2gm per day, 4 to 6-year-olds 3gm, 7 to 10 year-olds 5gm and for 11 and older it should be 6gm. They also recommend that babies never be given extra salt on their food. These figures are maximum daily recommendations, and parents should strive to have less than that, if possible.