In a recent study published in the Journal of Human Hypertension, after following 1,600 children ages 4 to 14, it was concluded that the more salt children ate, the higher their blood pressure. According to the study, researchers from St. George’s University in London found that for each extra gram of salt eaten, there was a related increase in systolic blood pressure.

The study put strong evidence behind an issue that many have believed to be accurate for years, that eating more salt increases blood pressure in childhood. The study also recommended that salt be reduced in childhood to avoid a stronger risk of heart disease and stroke in adulthood.

Dr. D.J. McFadden M.D., M.P.H., Holmes County health commissioner, said that although an overload of salt isn’t good for our health, salt is an important mineral that our body needs.

“Table salt is made up primarily of NaCl (sodium chloride),” he explained. “When a salt is in water, it can be considered to be two ions so NaCl becomes positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chloride ions. Sodium is very important in regulating our fluid status. In medicine we talk about water following sodium. So in simple terms, the sodium ion can have an effect by increasing our blood pressure.”

Reducing salt in your child’s diet can be difficult. Unfortunately, an abundance of salt is found in many of the foods and snacks that kids eat on a regular basis.

“Almost all fast food and restaurant food is over salted,” McFadden said. “Pickles, olives, processed meats, ham, soups and pickled products all have high salt. Also chips, pretzels and similar snacks have a high salt content. A good way to limit salt intake is by eating at home and avoiding snack foods.”

Avoiding snack foods is a big way to cut down on salt intake, but exchanging those snack foods for raw vegetables and fruits will also eliminate salt and add great nutrition to your child’s diet. When choosing between crunchy vegetables and fruit or crunchy chips, obviously the vegetables and fruits are going to be the healthy choice. Healthy choices now can have a great impact on the health a child will have as an adult.

McFadden said that more and more young children and adolescents are developing high blood pressure. He believes the negative changes in diet, and the increased obesity rate among children is the driving force behind these increases in blood pressure.

“Oftentimes we go looking for other causes, like drugs, kidney damage and so forth, when we see high blood pressure start to develop in a child,” he said. “But with the changes to the diet and obesity rates, we are seeing more and more high blood pressure in kids.”

In addition to cutting down on salt intake, McFadden believes exercise is a huge link to a healthy heart.

“Salt and diet are very important issues,” he said. “But I would say that obesity is what we are really addressing, and we need to tackle this from two angles. One is addressing lack of exercise. Our children are not outside playing, running, skipping, jumping. As a result they are gaining weight, but more important they are not strengthening their cardiovascular system. The second angle is diet. Our diets need adjusting. We need to decrease the quantity of what we eat and increase the quality. We need to decrease our fat intake and our sugar intake and our salt intake. One way that people try to encourage kids to eat healthier foods is to put a lot of salt on it (salt the corn, salt the lima beans, salt the avocado, salt the greens) and this assault to really good foods may not really help kids. Salt intake is important, but in the big scheme of things, exercise and a healthy diet are key ingredients to a healthy heart for any age.”

Since high blood pressure is linked to heart disease, and salt and obesity are both linked to high blood pressure, it only makes sense to address these two issues with your children. Read labels, limit soda and other high sodium foods and experiment with new spices. Salt shouldn’t be the only spice in your life.