Children’s Health Is Compromised By Sodium Intake

According to a new CDC Vital Signs report, 90 percent of children aged 6-18 years eat more sodium than recommended, which puts them at risk for developing high blood pressure and heart disease later in life.

The report provides the most recent data detailing how much sodium children eat and where it actually comes from. CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H, said the numbers are too high.

“Too many children are consuming way too much sodium, and the result will be risks of high blood pressure and heart disease in the future. Most sodium is from processed and restaurant food, not the salt shaker. Reducing sodium intake will help our children avoid tragic and expensive health problems.”

Using data from CDC’s 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, CDC researchers found that about 43 percent of sodium comes from the 10 foods they absolutely love: pizza, bread and rolls, cold cuts/cured meats, savory snacks, sandwiches, cheese, chicken patties/nuggets/tenders, pasta mixed dishes, Mexican mixed dishes, and soups.

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