Salt is back in the news. Not surprisingly, salt continues to get a bad name because eating too much salt can put us at risk. This is a bummer for those of us who prefer a salt lick to a popsicle. And it’s especially bad if we developed a salt-eating habit in childhood. An article published today found that increases in salt intake are correlated with the finding of high blood pressure. Not news, exactly. But the article asserted that for each increase in 1000mg of sodium intake each day, the risk of elevated BP increased significantly. Every little grain of salt seems to count. This was especially true among children who were of unhealthy weight (over 1/3 of the children studied). Thing is, the longer we have high blood pressure, the more damage our bodies sustain. So if high pressures start in childhood, risks increase throughout our lifetime.
Blood Pressure In Children:
- Normal blood pressure for children shifts and changes as they grow. Normal BP varies based on age, gender, and height. Your child should have their blood pressure routinely checked starting at 3 years of age. Ask the nurse, medical assistant, or doctor to report your child’s blood pressure and confirm the numbers are normal for their age and height.
- Salt may increase blood pressure by causing the body to retain more water, giving our blood more volume. When blood volume and pressure increases, the changes can load stress on our heart and our blood vessels. Over time, those longstanding increases can cause damage to our organs putting us at higher risk for heart problems and/or stroke. You should know however, there are many people who develop high blood pressure as they get older who don’t eat excess salt, for unknown reasons. Medically significant high blood pressure requiring treatment is rare in childhood but can start at any age. Even so, anyone who eats excess salt is at risk for elevating their pressures at any age.
- Many children with high blood pressure don’t know it. The article reported that 15% of the 6000 children evaluated had high blood pressure. Boys were more likely to have high pressures.
Below is a video I published previously on where salt comes from in our diet, how much salt children can consume by age, and ways to help reduce our cravings for salt as a family. Number one thing to do in any household to reduce salt intake is to reduce processed food sources–canned and processed foods account for the majority of salt in our diets.
Natalie's advocate says
Natural sea salt on food to taste is actually GOOD for you. Aluminum-containing Morton’s salt is NOT.
Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, MBE says
Sea salt still has equivalent amounts of sodium which may increase blood pressure by the mechanisms explained above. Further, no information was collected in the article from Pediatrics differentiating between Sea salt and Morton’s, for example. Nutrition info came from 24-hour recall where they asked participants about “table salt” intake.
Here’s a link written by a Mayo clinic nutritionist explaining sea salt vs table salt:
https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sea-salt/AN01142
Joann Cox says
Just a reminder that the iodine in salt is an important micronutrient. When you do add salt when cooking or baking make sure it is iodized. Fast foods, though salty would not usually contain iodized salt.