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(Hypertension. 2008;51:615.)
© 2008 American Heart Association, Inc.

Editorial Commentaries

Are Children Doomed by What They Eat and Drink?

Myron H. Weinberger

From the Department of Medicine, Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis.

Correspondence to Myron H. Weinberger, 541 Clinical Dr, Room 423, Indianapolis, IN 46202. E-mail mweinbe@iupui.edu

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the industrialized world. In parallel, the prevalence rates of hypertension and cardiovascular disease have increased dramatically. Most unfortunately, these increases have not been limited to adults, because obesity and hypertension have also been found to have risen substantially in children and adolescents as well.^1,2 It seems that the rate of increasing body mass is directly related to the occurrence of hypertension in the pediatric population, because secondary forms of hypertension have not been reported to have increased recently.

It has long been recognized that a direct and continuous relationship exists between dietary sodium intake and blood pressure, as well as the prevalence of hypertension and associated cardiovascular disorders. However, this connection has generally been reported for adults but not demonstrated for the pediatric age group. A recent report suggests that such a relationship can even be found among individuals between the ages of 4 and 18 years.³ In addition, fluid consumption and, particularly, the consumption of sweetened beverages, have been linked to childhood obesity.⁴ In the present issue, He et al⁵ provide further evidence of a link between salt intake and soft-drink consumption in the preadult population. Using the 1997 National Diet and Nutrition Survey of Great Britain composed of 7-day dietary records for 1700 subjects ranging in age between 4 and 18 years (the same data set used in Reference ³), the authors observed a significant relationship between salt intake and fluid intake, as well as sweetened beverage consumption. They hypothesize, based in . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Related Article:

Salt Intake Is Related to Soft Drink Consumption in Children and Adolescents: A Link to Obesity?

Feng J. He, Naomi M. Marrero, and Graham A. MacGregor
Hypertension 2008 51: 629-634. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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