HHS HealthBeat (February 27, 2012)

Kids on salt

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

A study indicates eating patterns favoring salt may arise as early as babyhood. At the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, Leslie Stein examined taste preferences of babies introduced to starchy table foods, which often have added salt.

Stein says the infants who got the starchy foods tended to like saltier water. And she says the salt preference lingered as they grew older:

“Kids who had been introduced to starchy table foods by 6 months of age had a greater liking for the taste of salt when they were in preschool.”  (8 seconds)

Eating patterns that favor lots of salt are associated with high blood pressure and heart disease in adults.

The study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: February 27, 2012