There is a growing number of children admitted to hospitals for high blood pressure due to overconsumption of salt.
Admissions related to this concern have tripled in the last ten years, only 49 admissions were recorded in 2004 but this grew to 153 in 2014. Four hundred children below 5 years old were also admitted for the same reason. The figures obtained by Channel 4's Dispatchers from 29 NHS revealed that between the years 2012 and 2014, 1,064 children under 16 years old were admitted to hospital due to high blood pressure, Mail Online reports.
The children admitted to hospital for high blood pressure were broken down into age group, 391 children were 5 years old and below, 197 were at least 6 to 10 years old and 429 children were aged 11 to 16.
Although the hospital could not confirm yet if the high blood pressure was caused by excess salt or obesity, a separate research found that half of the children aged 7 years old consume too much salt in their diet. The children of this age group should only consume a maximum of 5 grams of salt a day, but a quarter of them were taking over 6.7 grams.
In a report from Fox News, Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 90 percent of children consume at least 1,000 milligrams more than what is recommended for their age.
The University of Bristol tracked 6,000 children ages 17 to 15 and discovered that an excess in sodium consumption came from processed food like pizza. The study showed that children who exceeded their daily-recommended salt intake had high blood pressure.
Dr. Kate Northstone, senior researcher who was involved in the study said, "We were able to look over time, so can show that salt intake in childhood has medium and potentially long-term effects on cardiovascular health," Mail Online has learned.
A diet high in sodium can lead to high blood pressure, which may complicate to heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Since the foods rich in sodium are also high in calories, fat kids who consume it have higher risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes. They are also prone to high cholesterol and obesity, Fox News reports.
Dr. Dyan Hes, a pediatrician and medical director of Gramercy Pediatrics in New York City shared that her patients, regardless if they are overweight or underweight consume too much salt.
"I think that parents aren't intentionally giving their children salt, they just don't realize how much salt is in the foods," Dr. Hes said.
Thus, it is important for parents to be vigilant on what they give their children to eat. One of the major sources of sodium is processed and packaged foods. In fact, 43 percent comes from foods like pizza, cold cuts and cheese, CDC found.
To help parents cut down their children's sodium intake, here are a few tips from Fox News.
1. Offer children more fruits and vegetables because its potassium can counterbalance the harmful effects of sodium.
2. Scan labels and watch out for labels with low-fat or fat-free since it is likely to contain more sodium to taste good.
3. Slowly decrease the amount of salt in your children's food.
4. Parents should eat healthy, so their children would follow their eating habits.
