Danger of Salt to Children

In support of Salt Awareness Day on 29th January, The Stroke Association is urging food manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt in food aimed at children.

Research has shown that children currently eat a diet too high in salt which could affect their health. A high salt diet may lead to a stroke later on in life, as salt can increase blood pressure.

Adults with high blood pressure (hypertension) have up to seven-times greater risk of suffering a stroke than those with normal blood pressure.

Eoin Redahan, a director of The Stroke Association, said, "Food manufacturers must take children's health into account because they are more vulnerable to the effects of a diet high in salt. By encouraging children to eat healthier diets today, we may be able to help set up a pattern of healthy eating and prevent the future strokes of tomorrow."

A child's diet will tend to be as high in salt as an adult's diet because of the foods they eat - eating up to 10/12g of salt a day which is too much. Children from 1-6 years of age should only eat 2g of salt a day, and those from 4-16 years of age should eat 5g of salt a day. Adults should only eat 6g of salt a day, the equivalent of a teaspoon.

Most people are not aware that foods such as bread and breakfast cereals contain large quantities of salt. As do soups, ready prepared meals, sausages, burgers and salty snacks - all foods that children enjoy.

Ends

Notes to editor

1. For more information, please call The Stroke Association Press Office on 020 7566 1515/0328.
2. Salt Awareness Day 2003 is organised by CASH - Consensus Action on Salt and Hypertension. For more information email:cash@sghms.ac.uk or call 020 8725 2409. Website:www.hyp.ac.uk/cash/

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