Children are consuming too much salt — with disastrous consequences for their health now and in the future.
An alarming study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that nearly three-quarters of eight-month-old babies have an intake of salt that is significantly higher than the recommended level.
Too-high levels of sodium are a concern at any age, due to their strong links to hypertension, but particularly so in babies and very young children as too much salt can harm developing organ systems, especially the kidneys.
Also, by giving infants a taste for salt at a very young age, they become conditioned to seek it out as adults, setting them up for further health problems.
In the study, nutritionists Dr Pauline Emmett and Vicky Cribb, from the University of Bristol in England, followed the growth and development of 1,200 children.
They found that, at eight months, the average salt intake was more than twice the recommended daily amount for that age group.
Factors contributing to this result were identified as: eating high levels of bread; having cow's milk, rather than breast milk, as a main drink; the introduction of salty, processed solid foods, such as baked beans and canned spaghetti; and the addition of salty condiments, like yeast extract.
In commenting on their findings, Emmett and Cribb warn, "Salt intakes need to be substantially reduced in children of this age group. Infants need foods specifically prepared for them without added salt, so it is important to adapt the family diet … Manufacturers [also] have a responsibility to reduce the salt content of food products."
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Video: Salt addictions
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