Teenagers are eating more salty foods than any other age group, reaching an average of 9 grams (3,800 milligrams of sodium) of salt per day, more than any other age group. At the same time, teen fruit and vegetable consumption has declined from 1.84 cups to 1.76 cups on average per day. This trend is consistent with a decline in the availability of high school salad bars and the minimal number of fruits and vegetables offered in high school vending machines.
The biggest contribution of salt to teens’ diet seems to be pizza, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Nearly 80% of the other salt found in teens’ diets is not from added salt from the salt shaker, but from processed or prepared foods. Thirty-five percent of the salt in prepared foods comes from cereal, bread and pastries.
If teens’ salt intake were reduced by as little as one-half teaspoon (three grams) per day, the number of young adults with high blood pressure would be reduced by 44 to 63%, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions meeting.
Presenter Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, UCSF associate professor of medicine and epidemiology said, “Reducing the amount of salt that is already added to the food that we eat could mean that teenagers live many more years free of hypertension. Fast food and snack foods are major contributors to salt intake among teens, and reducing intake of these food items can have an important health benefit for teens during their teen years and as they become young and middle age adults.” By lowering dietary salt by three grams per day, the researchers projected the following benefits for healthcare in the United States:
- 44-63 percent, or 380,000-550,000, fewer hypertensive young people aged 12-24 years
- 30-43 percent, or 2,700,000–3,900,000, fewer hypertensive adults aged 35-50 years
- 7-12 percent, or 120,000-210,000, fewer incidents of coronary heart disease
- 8-14 percent, or 36,000-64,000, fewer heart attacks
- 5-8 percent, or 16,000-28,000, fewer strokes
- 5-9 percent, or 69,000-120,000, fewer deaths of any cause as teenagers reach age 50
By carefully reading package labels and selecting lower salt items you can reduce your family's salt intake and help reduce the risk of hypertension in your family.
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