High salt consumption endangers US kids: Study

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Children in the United States consume too much salt, putting them at risk for hypertension and other health problems, according to a study published on Monday in the science review Pediatrics.

The study by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, found that kids between the ages of eight and 18 took in an average of 3,387mg a day of sodium, more than twice the 1,500 daily recommended by doctors.

The study monitored the diets of 6,235 youths and found that their sodium intake was about the same as that of adults, with more than three-quarters of the salt coming from processed and fast foods.

Too much salt is linked to high blood pressure - a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke and several other problems which were once found almost exclusively in adults, but which are now increasingly seen in children.