NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Gradually reducing the amount of salt in processed foods could help fight childhood obesity, UK researchers say.
In a survey of 1,688 children aged 4 to 18, Dr. Feng J. He and colleagues from the University of London found that as the children's salt intake rose, their fluid consumption increased, with sugar-sweetened soft drinks accounting for nearly one third of their liquid intake.
Cutting salt intake in half would mean kids gulped down 2.3 fewer sugary drinks a week, or 244 fewer empty calories, the researchers estimate. "It's another good reason for children to reduce their salt intake," He told Reuters Health.
Cutting down on sodium has already been shown to significantly reduce children's blood pressure, she added, which in turn will make them less likely to develop hypertension in later life.
Sodium consumption has been tied to liquid intake in adults, but the relationship in children is not as well understood, He and her colleagues write in the medical journal Hypertension. To investigate, they analyzed information on salt and fluid intake over a seven-day period from a national UK survey on diet in young people.
Average salt intake ranged from 4.6 grams daily for 4 year olds to 6.8 grams daily for 18 year olds, He and her colleagues found. For each additional gram of salt a child consumed, total fluid intake increased by 100 grams, with sugar sweetened soft drinks accounting for 27 grams of the total.
"Most people do not realize that in most developed countries approximately 80% of salt intake is from salt hidden in food," He noted in an interview. UK food producers have agreed to progressively reduce the amount of salt they use, and a 2007 study found that the change had already resulted in a reduction in citizens' sodium intake, she noted. "This strategy could be easily adopted by the other developed countries."
However, He's team points out, some large companies that produce both soft drinks and salty snacks have been reluctant to make lower sodium food because they fear this could affect soft drink sales. "They should not be allowed to stand in the way of a reduction in salt intake, because this reduction would have major benefits to the health of the whole population and, particularly, to children in potentially preventing the development of high blood pressure and obesity, thereby reducing the appalling burden of cardiovascular disease later in life," the researchers write.
In the meantime, He urged parents to check labels to make sure they are choosing low salt products for their children and avoid adding salt to foods in cooking or at the table.
SOURCE: Hypertension, February 2008.
