Adolescent dietary salt reductions may improve adult heart health

American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2010

CHICAGO — A 3-g decrease in daily salt intake may decrease the number of hypertensive adolescents and young adults by more than 60%, according to a recent study funded by the American Heart Association.

At 9 g per day, adolescents not only exceed the American Heart Association (AHA) recommended 1,500 mg of daily sodium intake, but also consume more salt than any other group, according to Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco.

Using a sophisticated computer modeling analysis, Bibbins-Domingo and colleagues calculated projections of the nationwide health effects of a 3-g reduction in dietary salt from processed foods consumed by adolescent boys and girls.

The findings were presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2010.

Benefits of dietary salt decreases

The researchers’ projections linked the 3-g decrease in salt intake with a 44% to 63% decline in the number of hypertensive adolescents and young adults and a 30% to 43% reduction (2.7 to 3.9 million people) in the number of hypertensive adults at ages 30 to 50 years.

“Reducing the amount of salt that is already added to the food that we eat could mean that teenagers live many more years free of hypertension,” said Bibbins-Domingo, who is also co-director of the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations. “The additional benefit of lowering salt consumption early is that we can hopefully change the expectations of how food should taste, ideally to something slightly less salty.”

She noted that a 1-g daily decrease in salt consumption also results in a small 0.8 mm Hg decrease in systolic BP.

“Reducing the salt in the teenage diet from an average of 9 g to 6 g would get teenage boys and girls to appropriate levels of salt intake,” she added.

By age 50, health benefits would also include the following:

• 7% to 12% reduction in coronary heart disease (120,000 to 210,000 people).
• 8% to 14% reduction in MI (36,000 to 640,000 people).
• 5% to 8% reduction in stroke (16,000 to 28,000 people).
• 5% to 9% reduction in death from any cause (69,000 to 120,000 people).

Major sources of sodium

“The hidden places of salt in our diet are in breads and cereals, canned foods and condiments and of course fast foods,” Bibbins-Domingo said. “Most of the salt that we eat is not from our salt shaker but salt that is already added in food that we eat.”

Approximately 80% of salt comes from processed foods or prepared foods, 35% of which is in cereals, breads and pastries.

Data from the National Center for Health Statistics, however, indicate that pizza is largely responsible for the high amount of dietary salt among adolescents.

Bibbins-Domingo urged manufacturers to collaborate with local, state and federal regulatory agencies to continue to reduce salt in their foods. She noted that a number of major companies have already joined the National Sodium Reduction initiative and have voluntarily agreed to work to lower the salt content that is in processed and prepared foods.

For more information:

• Bibbins-Domingo K. Abstract 18899/P2039. Presented at: American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2010; Nov. 13-17; Chicago.

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