Reducing salt lowers blood pressure in kids

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A modest reduction in salt intake leads to an immediate fall in blood pressure in children, which may in turn reduce the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in adulthood, according to a new study.

"Raised blood pressure is the major cause of cardiovascular disease, accounting for 62% of strokes and 49% of coronary heart disease," Drs. Feng J. He and Graham A. MacGregor, from St. George's University of London, UK, write in the medical journal Hypertension.

They continue: "A recent systematic analysis of population health data shows that raised blood pressure is the biggest cause of death in the world and the second biggest cause of global burden of disease coming after underweight in children."

By pooling results from ten previous clinical trials, the researchers examined the effects of reducing salt intake on blood pressure in children 18 years of age or younger. The 966 subjects in the trials were an average of 13 years old and the average duration of salt reduction was 4 weeks. Salt intake was reduced by 42 percent, on average.

Blood pressure dropped by a little more than a point, which was statistically significant.

"A modest reduction in salt intake will cause an immediate fall in blood pressure in children and, if continued, may well lessen the subsequent rise in blood pressure with age and prevent the development of hypertension," the investigators suggest. This would result in major reductions in cardiovascular disease, they say.

SOURCE: Hypertension, November 2006.