Paediatrics Publications
Dietary intake of sodium by children: Why it matters
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-6-2020
Journal
Paediatrics and Child Health (Canada)
Volume
25
Issue
1
First Page
47
Last Page
61
URL with Digital Object Identifier
10.1093/pch/pxz153
Abstract
Dietary sodium is required in very small amounts to support circulating blood volume and blood pressure (BP). Available nutritional surveillance data suggest that most Canadian children consume sodium in excess of their dietary requirements. Approximately 80% of the sodium Canadians consume comes from processed and packaged foods. High sodium intakes in children may be an indicator of poor diet quality. Results from systematic reviews and meta-analyses have demonstrated that decreasing dietary sodium in children leads to small but clinically insignificant decreases in BP. However, population-level strategies to reduce sodium consumption, such as food product reformulation, modifying food procurement processes, and federal healthy eating policies, are important public health initiatives that can produce meaningful reductions in sodium consumption and help to prevent chronic disease in adulthood.