More than 90% of children and adolescents in the US consume huge quantities of salt, announced the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This can cause numerous health problems - it's possible to develop high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases and others, report Agence France-Presse and Reuters, quoting official data from the centers.
To lower the risk of disease, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) urge for immediate action to be taken. The use of salt in the food industry needs to be limited.
Kids between the ages of 6 and 18 consume an average of 3280 mg of salt daily, and representatives from the CDC make it clear that this is more than the recommended amount. Health authorities advise a maximum salt intake of 2300 mg per day.
The authors of the study demand that the authorities take this problem very seriously. If something is not done now, a few years from now kids will be dying a premature death, because they will fall sick to cardiovascular diseases at a very young age.
According to health authorities, the problem does not lie with the salt shaker on the kitchen table at home. Investigations have shown that the most salt is found within industrially-prepared foods and in fast food restaurant chains.
Statistics show that in 2009 and 2010, 43% of the salt consumed by children between the ages of 6 and 18 was taken in with products such as pizza, sausages, Mexican food, dough products, hot dogs and others.
Preparing warm food at home is the better choice for children, instead of them eating at the fast food joints in the neighborhood. This way, the amount of salt intake will be gradually decreased and parents will be able to keep their kids healthy much longer.
The consumption of excessive amounts of salt leads to the death of 1.6 million people annually. Most of these fall ill to cardiovascular diseases.
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