Do Foods Play Important Role In Managing Hypertension?

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is not only a chronic disease by itself but also a risk factor for many other medical disorders including heart disease and stroke. While hypertension is not curable, it can be controlled with medication as well as adoption of healthy lifestyle. 

Foods do play an important role in managing hypertension. For the past 3 decades, research has been conducted to search for the best dietary recommendations for hypertension, but in reality, the vast majority of dietary recommendations are very similar to healthy diet recommendations in general.

There are 3 things that people with hypertension should avoid. First of all, they should reduce or simply not drink alcohol since drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure. Although studies have shown that low levels of alcohol intake could have protective effects on the heart, research has also clearly indicated that consuming alcohol is unhealthy for people who already have hypertension.

If one really wants to drink, he or she should limit the alcohol consumption to no more than 2 drinks per day for men and no more than 1 drink for women. A drink is a 12 oz. beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.

People love tasty foods, which unfortunately, are often packed with high salt. Salt or more precisely sodium intake is another thing for which hypertensive people should watch out. Too much sodium consumption is bad for the heart regardless of one's blood pressure status. Besides table salt, most of the sodium in the diets comes from packaged and processed foods. Hence, eating less of these foods can reduce sodium intake, lower blood pressure or preventing hypertension from developing in the first place. As suggested by most health organizations, limit for sodium intake is no more than 2,300 mg a day, and an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults, especially for those with hypertension.

Saturated fats are bad for the health, especially for people with hypertension because it raises blood cholesterol levels. High levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol in the blood increase the risk of heart disease and hypertension. Foods like beef, lamb, pork, butter and poultry with skin are all high in saturated fats, and they should be consumed as little as possible.

If one wants a more structured eating plan to manage blood pressure, perhaps he or she can consider a program called DASH, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Its basic rules include replacing foods high in total and saturated fat with fish, poultry, seeds and nuts, eating more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, limiting alcohol and caffeine intake, and staying away from processed foods.

Besides diet, patients with hypertension should also exercise regularly, stop smoking, reduce stress, lose some weight if they were overweight. More importantly, do not skip medications.

Heart Disease Prevention - Excessive Salt Is Harmful Even Without Causing Hypertension

High intake of salt can, however, cause high blood pressure, which in turn would lead to other medical conditions, including heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Recent study warned that even if one does not develop high blood pressure from consuming too much salt, his or her blood vessels, heart, kidney and brain might still be damaged. Find out more at:

Heart Disease Prevention - Excessive Salt Is Harmful Even Without Causing Hypertension

Are Low-Salt Foods Available In Grocery Stores?

Salt, or more precisely sodium, is required by human body to help nerves and muscles function correctly. It also plays an important part in fluid balance (regulation of water content).

However, consuming too much salt can raise the risk of hypertension as well as cardiovascular (heart disease and stroke). In 2006, a study from the University of Helsinki even linked sodium intake to obesity.

One third of American adults have hypertension, and at least a quarter of those cases are affected by sodium intake. More than two-thirds of American adults and nearly one-third of children and youth are overweight or obese.

A recent study by CDC (the Center for Disease Control and Prevention) indicated that it is difficult to find low-sodium food in grocery stores. The new findings, which were published in the journal ‘Preventing Chronic Disease’, could explain why more than 90 percent of American adults consume more than the recommended daily amount of sodium.

Fewer than half of packaged grocery-store products in most food categories were found to meet Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for being labeled as a healthy food, according to the researchers from CDC.

More than 70 percent of pizzas, pasta mixed dishes, and meat mixed dishes, and 50 percent to 70 percent of cold cuts, soups, and sandwiches exceeded FDA’s healthy labeling standards for sodium, whereas less than 10 percent of breads, savory snacks, and cheeses did.

The researchers looked at all sales in 2009 from grocery stores in 3 United States Census regions: the South Atlantic, East North Central, and Pacific. In all 3 divisions, 50 percent or more of products sold in most food categories exceeded the sodium-per-serving conditions for a healthy food.

FDA allows food manufacturers label food as healthy only if the food contains less than 480 milligrams of sodium in a single serving of individual foods such as bread, or less than 600 milligrams in a main dish meal.

It is clear that most of the salt that Americans eat is hidden in processed foods such as bread. In fact, bread is the single biggest source of sodium in the American diet because people eat so much of it.

Data found in the study also supports recent findings that meeting sodium recommendations might be difficult in the current food environment because many of the top-selling packaged food products in each region were national brands, regional variation in sodium content of available products may be limited.

Public is, therefore, advised to get fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables since unprocessed food rarely contains much sodium. If one wants to buy packaged food, he or she should spend some time reading the label and should try choosing a lower sodium option.

Do Baby Foods Contain Excessive Salt And Sugar?

Consuming high content of salt will raise the risk of getting high blood pressure that will eventually lead to heart disease and stroke. Taking excessive amount of sugar can cause people to become overweight or even obese, which is associated with many disorders including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and Type-2 diabetes.

While many people are aware of these health risks and taking steps to cut down the consumption of packaged and processed foods, there is evidence showing that adults are giving foods packed with salt and sugar to their babies and toddlers. A new study, which was published online February 2, 2015 in journal ‘Pediatrics’, reported that many baby and toddler foods often contain too much sugar or sodium.

Being conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the study examined the nutritional information of 1,074 infant and toddler food products taken from 2012 nutrient database. The majority of infant foods were found to be low in sodium.

Of the 79 infant mixed grains and fruits, 41 contained at least one added sugar and 35 also had at least 35 percent of calories coming from sugar. Toddler foods fared poorly, too. 72 percent of toddler dinners contain more than 210 mg of sodium. About half the foods made for toddlers contained amount of sodium equivalent of plain potato chips. 32 percent of toddler dinners and the majority of other toddler foods contained more than 1 added sugar.

In the United States, almost 80 percent of kids aged between 1 and 3 consume more than the recommended daily maximum level of salt (1,500 mg). It is also known that about 1 in 9 children have blood pressure above the normal range for their age, and excess sodium is associated with increased blood pressure. Blood pressure tracks from when children are young into when they are adults.

Though there are no conclusive studies indicating that introducing sugar too early can actually lead to an increased likelihood of diabetes, giving infants and toddlers too much sodium and sugar will make them picky eaters. After eating tasty foods with too much salt and sugar, they will probably not going to have some healthy like fresh vegetables.

Nevertheless, the Grocery Manufacturers Association of America (GMA) issued a statement defending that the food products examined in the study was based on 2012 database that did not reflect a wide range of new healthy products with lower sodium.

As suggested by some health experts, it is best for parents to make their own food, if possible. Parents are also advised to spend an extra 5 or 10 minutes to read the labels to find out the contents of sodium and sugar before buying any products for their children.  

Heart Disease Prevention - Are American Kids Eating Too Much Salt?

Findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that more than 90 percent of kids are eating far too much salt, which is not coming from the saltshaker. An estimated 3,279 milligrams of sodium was consumed daily by the American school-aged children, as stipulated in their report on September 9, 2014. Read more at:

Heart Disease Prevention - Are American Kids Eating Too Much Salt?

Heart Disease Prevention - Eating More Salt Is Acceptable?

New research suggested that healthy people could eat about twice the amount of salt that is currently recommended. An international study covering 102,216 persons in 18 countries suggested that while there is a relationship between salt intake and high blood pressure, if people do not already have high blood pressure and are not over 60 or eating too much salt, salt would not have much impact on their blood pressure. Click the following link to read more:

Heart Disease Prevention - Eating More Salt Is Acceptable?

Why Should Salt Consumption Be Cut?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), non-communicable diseases including heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of premature death globally. 17 and a half million people died every year because of these 2 cardiovascular diseases, and overuse of salt is blamed to be a major culprit.

Salt contains chloride and sodium ions that are needed by all known living creatures in small quantities. It is involved in regulating the water content or fluid balance of the body, and the sodium ion itself is used for electrical signaling in the nervous system. But consuming too much salt can be bad for the body. Evidence has shown that consuming too much salt can lead or contribute to hypertension (high blood pressure), and significantly raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.

On the World Heart Day held September 29, 2014, WHO is calling on countries to act on the overuse of salt by implementing WHO’s sodium reduction recommendations to cut the number of people experiencing heart disease and stroke, and hence save up to 2 million deaths a year. The target is to cut salt by 30 percent by 2025.

In most countries, 80 percent of salt is consumed through processed foods such as bread, cheese, bottled sauces, cured meats and ready-made meals and it is the sodium in the salt that actually accounts for the health disorders. WHO recommends the population reduce salt consumption to less than 5 grams (about a teaspoon) per day for adults and even less for children aged between 2 and 15 years.

People are currently consuming 10 grams of salt per day on average, and much of the sodium in food is over the limit that people’s taste buds can actually perceive. In fact, the manufacturers of many of these foods could simply cut the sodium levels by around 5 percent and the consumers would not recognize any difference in taste.

The WHO is urging all food manufacturers and retailers to lower the levels of salt in food and beverage products, and to make healthy and low-sodium food available and affordable. 

It also suggests some strategies to reduce salt consumption that include implementing regulations and policies to ensure that food manufacturers and retailers reduce the levels of salt in food and beverage products; fostering healthy eating environments that promote salt reduction in public places such as schools, hospitals, workplaces and public institutions, and ensuring clear food labeling so consumers can easily understand the level of salt in products.

Meanwhile, individuals and families should check salt levels on processed food labels, request less salt in prepared food products, and remove salt-shakers and bottled sauces from dining tables.

When Will FDA Get Ready Plan To Cut Salt?

Common salt is a mineral substance composed primarily of sodium chloride. One teaspoon of salt (6 grams serving) contains about 2,300 mg of sodium. Sodium helps nerves and muscles to function correctly, and it is also involved in the regulation of water content (fluid balance).

While human body needs salt, consuming too much of it can raise the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and other medical disorders.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services recommends that individuals should not consume more than 1500 - 2300 mg of sodium (3750–5750 mg of salt) per day depending on age. The American Heart Association also recommends that everyone eat no more than 1,500 mg a day.

Being used to add flavor to food, salt is also employed to increase shelf life, prevent the growth of bacteria, or improve texture and appearance. That makes it more difficult to remove from some products. As such, high content of salt is embedded in common processed foods and restaurant meals.

Undoubtedly, the current level of consumption is higher than it should be for health. Most Americans eat about 1½ teaspoons of salt daily or about a third more than that recommended by the government.

It seems that a federal effort is needed to try preventing thousands of deaths each year from heart disease and stroke, and the action is expected to come very soon. This means that food companies and restaurants could soon face government pressure to make their foods less salty.

Mandatory standards are actually preferred by health groups, but some experts thought voluntary guidelines are a good first step. There are, however, concerns that some companies might hesitate worrying that their competitors would not reduce sodium in their products. So they expected that FDA should start a process of mandatory limits, if that happens.

Actually, many food companies and retailers have already pushed to cut salt contents. For instance, Wal-Mart pledged to reduce sodium in many items by 25 percent by next year, and food giant ConAgra Foods says it made a 20 percent reduction. Subway restaurants said it has made a 30 percent reduction restaurant-wide.

According to FDA officials, they are preparing to issue voluntary guidelines asking the food industry to lower sodium levels, and they believe they can make a big impact working with the industry to bring sodium levels down.

Once the guidelines are issued, Americans would not notice an immediate taste difference in higher-sodium foods such as pizza, pasta, bread and soups. The idea is to encourage gradual change so consumers' taste buds can adjust gradually, and to give the companies time to develop lower-sodium foods. 

Nevertheless, it is still not clear that when FDA will release such guidelines but it is expected that they should be ready by this year as set by its 2013 goal.

Understanding Relation Between Disease and Salt Intake

Human body needs salt (contains approximately 40 percent of sodium) to perform a variety of essential functions. Sodium helps maintain the fluid balance and cardiovascular function in the body and plays an important role in the nervous system. It is also used in the uptake of certain nutrients from the small intestines.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that average adults should consume less than 1500 mg of sodium a day, but most Americans eat between 4,000 and 6,000 milligrams of sodium daily, that is 2 to 3 times more than they should.

Research had already showed that excessive intake of salt can raise the risk of getting a number of medical conditions including kidney failure, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

While it is possible to limit the amount of salt that is added to the food, it might not be easy to avoid salt that is contained in many processed foods, including luncheon meats, prepared sauces and soups, canned and dried foods, and commercially prepared baked goods. Other stuffs such as pickles, ketchup, cheese, and bacon piled onto the burger can also unnoticeably add up the salt intake. For instance, adding a serving of fries could cause a person to exceed his or her daily sodium intake in just a single meal.

A paper, which was published on March 28, 2013 in in ‘The New England Journal of Medicine’ by researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin, cited correlations between blood pressure and salt intake in a number of different studies, after a balanced review of the relevant literature.

Their findings typically revealed the causation between lowering salt intake and decreased levels of blood pressure occur in hypertensive individuals. There is also a link between salt intake and blood pressure in individuals who do not have hypertension, though it is not as pronounced. Moreover, recent studies have demonstrated that a decreasing salt intake is also associated with lower cardiovascular disease and mortality. 

Salt-reduction program had led to a lower salt intake in countries like Finland and Great Britain. In Finland, the resulting decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressures actually lead to a 75 - 80 percent decrease in mortality due to stroke and coronary heart disease.

Nevertheless, not all health professionals and researchers agree on the population-based recommendations to reduce the salt intake. Their reason is that salt is essential for life and it is not easy to differential between salt requirement and salt preference. There is always a risk to the health if the lower limit of salt intake has not been clearly stipulated.

Why You Should Take Less Salt?

It has been known and probably shown by dozens of studies that consuming too much salt (sodium) can cause hypertension (high blood pressure), which in turn will increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) estimated that more than 800,000 Americans die from heart disease, stroke and other vascular diseases every year. According to AHA (American Heart Association), nearly half of all deaths caused by cardiovascular disease in the United States are related to hypertension. 

Statistics shows that Americans consumes an average of 3,600 mg of salt a day (about a teaspoon and a half), which is obviously much higher than that stipulated in recommended guidelines.

Current dietary guidelines recommend that people should take less than 2,300 mg of salt a day (about a teaspoon). For people who are 51 or older, are African-American or have hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease, their daily intake should not be more than 1,500 mg.

A paper published February 11, 2013 in the journal ‘Hypertension’ suggested that hundreds of thousands of lives could be saved in the next decade, if Americans could cut the amount of salt they consume.

Scientists from the University of California San Francisco, Harvard Medical School and Simon Fraser University in Canada each used completely different computer simulation models to estimate how lowering sodium would save lives, largely by reducing the number of heart attacks and strokes.

One model examined the effects of gradually reducing sodium intake by 40 percent over 10 years to 2,200 milligrams a day (about a teaspoon), the second model calculated the impact of instantly reducing sodium intake by 40 percent, and the third model assessed the benefits of instantly cutting sodium intake to 1,500 mg a day, about a half teaspoon. 

All the 3 models found consistent and substantial benefits of lowering sodium consumption from the current level of intake. While gradually reducing sodium intake by 40 percent over 10 years could save an estimated 280,000 to 500,000 lives, immediately lowering sodium intake would save 500,000 to 850,000 more lives, about 60 percent more.

The researchers admitted that people might not be able to instantly reduce their salt intake, taking into account of the prevailing high salt intake. It might be more realistic for people to gradually reduce their salt intake over time.

According to AHA, an estimated 80 percent of salt intake comes from commercially prepared and processed foods. Hence, it is important that the public health approach should target lower levels of added sodium in these products through a combined effort of regulation, consumer education and food labeling and voluntary partnership with food manufacturers.

Less Salt More Potassium For Stroke Prevention!

About 98 percent of Americans consume an average 3436 milligrams of salt (sodium) daily, which is more than twice the recommended amount for a healthy diet, according to American Heart Association (AHA).

Higher intake of sodium is tied to a higher risk of developing hypertension (high blood pressure) that would eventually lead to heart disease and stroke, as suggested by many studies. However, little is known about that lower potassium consumption could also lead to high blood pressure.

Several studies published on April 4, 2013 in the ‘British Medical Journal’ (BMJ reported that less salt and more potassium in a person's diet could lower blood pressure and hence the risk of stroke. In the first study, researchers from the Queen Mary University of London and Affiliated Hospital of LuZhou Medical College, China argued that while the current recommendations to lower salt intake from 9-12 to 5-6 grams per day will have a major effect on blood pressure, a further reduction of 3 grams per day will have a greater effect and should become the long-term objective for population salt intake.

Using data collected from 34 trials consisting of 3230 participants, researchers examined people with hypertension and those with normal blood pressure. The results showed that notable decreases in blood pressure in both groups after 4 or more weeks of modest salt intake. The change in the diet did lower their risk of heart attack, heart failure as well as stroke.

The second study by a group of scientists from Britain, Germany and Switzerland found that lower salt intake reduced blood pressure yet had no negative impact on hormone levels, blood lipids, or kidney function, as shown by high quality evidence. A total of 56 reports were analyzed, 37 of which were of high quality. A reduction in sodium intake could lower blood pressure in kids, as demonstrated by moderate quality evidence.

Lower sodium intake was also linked to a reduced risk of stroke and fatal coronary heart disease in adults. The totality of evidence suggested that most people will likely benefit from lowering sodium intake.

Researchers from Britain and Switzerland examined data in the third study on potassium intake and health from 33 reports consisting of 128,644 healthy volunteers. The high quality evidence showed that higher potassium intake reduced blood pressure in people with hypertension but had no adverse effect on hormone levels, kidney function, or blood lipids in adults. Meanwhile, moderate quality evidence also indicated that higher potassium intake was linked to a 24 percent lower risk of stroke.

Are People Still Consuming Too Much Salt?

Being one of the oldest food seasonings, salt has 2 major components: sodium and chloride ions. Salt is needed by human body to perform a variety of essential functions. Besides helping maintain fluid in the body cells and transmitting information in the nerves and muscles, salt can also be used in the uptake of certain nutrients form the small intestines.

While human require only a small quantity of salt each day, the salt consumption has increased to a level that is harmful to the body. Statistics showed that most Americans eat more than twice the recommended daily allowance of sodium.

Excess intake of sodium can lead to hypertension (high blood pressure), which in turn is a major risk factor for stroke and heart disease. About 80 percent of the sodium consumed by Americans is from restaurants and food manufacturers.

Despite the urge by health experts to cut salt intake for better health, the amount of salt found in processed or fast food is still high, according to a study that was published online on May 13, 2013 in the ‘Journal Of The American Medical Association’.

The findings showed that there was little change in terms of sodium content in sample of 480 processed and restaurant food from 2005 to 2011. The sample is only a small percentage of the thousands of foods in restaurants and grocery stores.

Though some products like sliced cheddar cheese and canned tomato soup did show decreases, others showed increases. Restaurant French fries, cheese pizza, whole-wheat bread, Caesar dressing, and barbecue sauce were found to have higher sodium in 2011 than 2005. A decrease of at least 30 percent was found in some of the products studied, but an increase of at least 30 percent was found in a greater number of products.

As suggested by some research, lowering salt intake could save up to 150,000 lives a year in the United States. There are, however, different views on whether consumers should cut sodium or whether the food industry should face tighter regulations.

Judge by what the new study has revealed, it seems that voluntary approach has failed. The food industry has not been making much changes. Hence, the researchers urge government to step in to protect the public by imposing regulations on the food industry. Otherwise, it is estimated that at least one million deaths and $100 billion in health-care costs will be incurred in the coming decade.

It Is Not Too Difficult To Prevent Hypertension!

Hypertension, or more commonly known as high blood pressure, is the second-leading cause of death in the United States. It usually has no symptoms but it can lead to development of many complications including heart disease, kidney failure and stroke, if the condition is not controlled. Many people can have hypertension for years even without knowing it.

Yet, hypertension is regarded as a “neglected disease”! This is what a report, commissioned by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published on February 22, 2010 in the Institute of Medicine, suggested.

The report showed that nearly one-third of the American adults have hypertension, and the number is on the rise. Every year, hypertension also accounts for about one-sixth of adult deaths, which is a 25 percent increase from 1995 to 2005.

The prevailing measures for hypertension prevention is definitely inadequate: doctors do not treat it aggressively and governments have not sufficiently prioritized their task. But the report stressed that prevent and treat hypertension is not difficult at all. Some means that would help manage and even prevent hypertension were outlined in the report.

The first priority is to cut the salt intake. It is estimated that some 80 percent of Americans are consuming more than the recommended amount of salt and the number is increasing! As some 70 percent of Americans had their sodium (salt) intake from package foods and restaurants, and not from their family meals, it is important for the food industry to manufacture and supply foods that contain less salt to the public.

Health experts are required to do their part, too. It is known that only one-third of people who have hypertension have the condition controlled. Many people who either are not aware that hypertension has struck them or have hypertensive condition not appropriately controlled by the health care providers who have diagnosed it.

Effort should be made to break the economic barriers that prevent patients from taking their medication. It is recommended that CDC need to work closely with various relevant parties to help hypertensive patients who need the medications.

Besides cutting salt, people should also eat more potassium, get some exercise and lose some weight. These steps would surely make a big difference in how many people suffer hypertension.

Joint Effort To Cut Salt Intake by 20 Percent by 2014

Salt is a mineral consists mainly of sodium chloride. It is essential for human body as it helps maintain the body’s fluid balance. However, too much of it inside the body can never be good as it could cause high blood pressure that would in turn lead to heart disease and stroke.

Americans consume about twice the recommended intake of salt (1,500 mg for most adults and 2,300 mg for others) each day. Studies show that only 11 percent of the salt (sodium) intake in the daily diets comes from the saltshakers while nearly 80 percent of salt is added to foods before they are sold. In fact, much of the salt in Americans’ diets comes from breads, muffins and other foods that do not taste salty at all.

Every year, the number of deaths of heart attack and stroke as a result of high salt intake are roughly 23,000 in the New York City and more than 800,000 nationwide. This also costs American billions in healthcare expenses.

2 years ago, the National Salt Reduction Initiative was created with the aim of reducing the salt in packaged and restaurant foods by 25 percent by 2014. This also means that the nation's salt intake can be reduced by 20 percent. This voluntary effort was coordinated by New York City.

Reducing sodium intake to the recommended levels could prevent between 44,000 and 92,000 deaths from heart attack and stroke, and save between US$10 and $24 billion in health care every year in the United States.

The program is actually modeled on a similar program in the United Kingdom, where food manufacturers have to reduce salt levels by at least 40 percent in some products. Other countries like Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Ireland, and New Zealand have also launched similar national initiatives to help cut the salt content in food.

On April 26, 2010, the first 16 companies announced their formal commitments to the National Salt Reduction Initiative, which is a public-private partnership that also includes 18 national health organizations, 29 cities, states and related entities.

The 16 companies are Au Bon Pain, Boar's Head, FreshDirect, Goya, Hain Celestial, Heinz, Kraft, LiDestri, Mars Food, McCain Foods, Red Gold, Starbucks, Subway, Unilever, Uno Chicago Grill and White Rose.

Mars Foods would lower the salt in its Uncle Ben's flavored rice products by 25 percent over 5 years. For Subway, their sandwich chain has already cut sodium by 30 percent in its European outlets and is working on reducing salt in its US restaurants. Heinz has already cut sodium in Bagel Bites frozen pizza snacks by more than 20 percent and would reduce sodium by 15 percent in all the ketchup it sells in the United States starting May 1.

What Types Of Cereals Should Be Banned From Kids?

According to a new analysis by Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, the breakfast cereals meant for children are less healthy than cereals for adults, and worst still, those that are ‘marketed the most aggressively to kids’ have the worst nutritional quality.

Through the study of 161 brands of cereals, the researchers published their report in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association indicating that the health claims by the cereal producers were often misleading. For instance, cereals sold as ‘low fat’ or ‘low sugar’ did not have low calories, and those brands sold as ‘whole grain’ though had more fiber, they also had as much salt, sugar, and fat as any other brands and had the same calorie content.

They also noted that children are often encouraged by both the food industry and public health authorities to eat breakfast, especially ready-to-eat cereals.

With an aim to comparing the nutritional quality of cereals targeted for children and those for adults, the researchers screened 161 brands of cereals, 46 percent of which were meant for kids. To be qualified in the study, the particular brand of cereal should have a character on the box, toys or games inside, or the company’s web site listed that brand as a children’s cereal.

The research team found that children’s cereals in fact had more sugar, sodium, carbohydrate and calories per gram than non-children’s cereals, and less protein and fiber, too. Meanwhile on average, more than one-third of the weight of children’s cereals consisted of sugar, comparing to less than one-quarter of the adult cereals.

While 56 percent of the non-children’s cereals met nutrition standards for foods sold in school, only 34 percent of the kid’s cereals did.

The growing number of overweight and obese kids would definitely worry their parents because the extra weight in these kids may just make them the possible candidates for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and many other sicknesses, as they grow older.

The advice from the researchers is that parents hoping to choose healthy cereals for their kids should search for those containing 4 or less grams of sugar per serving (about 1 teaspoon), at least 4 grams of fiber per bowl of cereal. Most importantly, once the parents decide to ban the heavily marketed cereals from their kids should stick to their decision. If they ever give in once, they are going to make their kid nag them even more.

Salty Food Can Put On Extra Weight On The Kids!

When kids eat too much salty food, they will get thirsty easily, and what they turn to is soda-filled sugary drink instead of plain water. Several studies have shown a link between sugary soft drinks and obesity in children. This may explain why childhood obesity has become an epidemic that both developed and developing countries have found it difficult to handle.

British researchers at St George's University of London found that cutting back on the salt intake for kids might be a good way to cut the calories they consume. This is the findings of a study published on February 20, 2008 in an American Heart Association Journal. Using the diet data from Great Britain's National Diet and Nutrition Survey, the researchers looked at 1,688 British boys and girls, with ages between 4 and18 years old, over a 7-day period in 1997.

The researchers indicated that salt is 'a hidden factor in the obesity epidemic'. About 80 percent of salt actually comes from manufactured food and not from the saltshaker, which only contributed less than 10 to 15 percent.

As pointed out by a health expert, fast foods are just loaded with sodium, but processed foods are all very high in sodium.

Lower intake of salt can reduce the amount of soft drinks and therefore fewer calories consumed by kids. A modest reduction in salt could even help lower blood pressure. It is known that high blood pressure increases the risk of later-in-life heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

The researchers suggested that food manufacturers could reduce the salt gradually without even noticed by the public; a 10 to 20 percent reduction in salt can barely be detected. It is imperative for the food industry to make such a reduction because the study found that cutting in half the amount of salt British children consume (a decrease of about half a teaspoon a day) would lead to an average reduction of about 510 gm of sugar-sweetened soft drinks per week.

Why Should Excessive Salt Intake Be Discouraged?

Sodium is the major component (about 40%) of salt (sodium chloride). It is essential for cell function as it maintains the electrolyte balance in the body, which regulates the flow of fluids such as water and blood.

Regular consumption of excessive salt intake will lead to hypertension in the long run. Based on the prevailing rate of salt intake, average blood pressure is expected to hike by about 6 mmHg over a 10-year period. For 30 years, it will be 18 mmHg (6 x 3). If the starting systolic pressure is 120 mmHg when you are 20 years old, then your blood pressure will be 138 mmHg by the time you are 50.

Hypertension is likely to raise the risk of coronary heart disease, too. Other possible medical complications include kidney problems, loss of calcium through urine which will cause osteoporosis and higher risk of fractures. Chances of stomach cancer will also be higher, according to research.