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Children aged five and six are eating 0.75 grams more salt than the recommended daily amount and teens are exceeding the limit by around 1.5 grams, researchers claim.
The recommended daily levels of salt according to age are as follows:
- One to two years - 2g salt per day (0.8g sodium)
- Four to six years - 3g salt per day (1.2g sodium)
- Seven to 10 years - 5g salt per day (2g sodium)
- 11 years and over - 6g salt per day (2.4g sodium)
The study showed that 36% of children's intake of salt comes from a combination of bread-based and cereal products, while meat provided an additional 19%.
An example of salt levels in popular foods (taken from a sample of popular brands):
- Children's cereal: around 0.3g salt per 30g
- A slice of white bread: around 0.35g salt per slice
- Pork sausages: around 0.3g per sausage
- Ready salted crisps: around 0.45g per packet
More than a third of children's salt consumption is from breads and cereals, researchers have found.
Analysis of young people's diets found that they eat an "unhealthy amount of salt on a daily basis". 36% of this salt comes from cereal and bread-based products, according to the new research.
The study, published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, found that many children are exceeding the recommended intake of salt on a daily basis.