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More than 70 percent of Australian children are consuming more than the maximum recommended intake of salt, according to a study funded by the National Heart Foundation.
Published by News Corp on Tuesday, the study, which analysed the urine of 666 elementary school children, found that almost three in four children were eating above the recommended amount of salt, something which could set them up with chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and heart disease later in life.
Dr Carley Grimes, lead researcher from Deakin University's Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research (C-PAN), said the results
were disturbing, as consistently high sodium intake would almost certainly lead to childhood obesity.
"We found that 70 percent of Australian children are eating over the maximum amount of salt recommended for good health," Grimes said in a statement.
"In this study children were eating on average 6 grams of salt a day, which is over a teaspoon, when they should be aiming to eat about 4-5 grams a day.
"For every additional gram of salt children ate this was associated with a 23 percent greater likelihood of being overweight or obese."
"Such high intakes of salt are setting children up for a lifetime risk of future chronic disease such as high blood pressure and heart disease."
She said while children and their parents were probably making a conscious effort to manage the level of salt being added to food at home, a lot of salt could come from pre-packaged foods and everyday items.
"Foods that contain higher levels of salt may enhance the flavor of foods which are often also higher in fat and energy and a salty diet may also encourage greater consumption of high energy sugar-sweetened beverages when these are available," Grimes said.
"This study is ringing alarm bells as we now have good evidence to indicate the need to cut the amount of salt that our children are eating."
Meanwhile National Heart Foundation CEO Professor Garry Jennings said the results of the study were a cause for serious concern - especially for elementary aged students.
"It highlights the importance of salt reduction to reduce the risk of future chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and heart disease later in life," Jennings said in a statement.
