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Salty foods trigger childhood obesity
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Surely many people know from their own experience or have witnessed how children, having stopped near a shelf with chips or salted crackers, demand their parents to buy them a pack. Many parents try to fight such desires and explain to the child why it is harmful to eat such products, but sometimes their patience snaps and the child gets what he wants. However, scientists advise moms and dads not to give in to the child's provocations, because this can lead to obesity and, as a consequence, to serious health problems.
Salty snacks such as chips, crackers and other salted snacks can cause childhood obesity, say Australian scientists from Deakin University. In addition to the fact that such products are dangerous in themselves due to the high content of all kinds of additives, carcinogens and trans fats, children who consume them like to wash it all down with sweet drinks, which further increase the risk of obesity.
The results of the scientists’ research were published in the scientific journal “Pediatrics”.
The study was conducted in Australia and involved 4,200 children aged two to sixteen. It found that the high salt content of snacks led children to drink more fluids, and to prefer soft drinks or sweetened juices. Every 390 milligrams of sodium consumed was washed down with about 17 grams of drinks.
Experts say that children who drink more than one serving of sugary drinks a day have a higher risk of developing obesity. In particular, the risk of gaining excess body weight in children increases by 26% compared to their peers who do not consume such a large number of additional calories.
“It’s not surprising that children whose parents allow their child to consume salty, unhealthy foods also have a penchant for equally unhealthy drinks,” comments Lona Sandon, associate professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “By allowing their child to eat such foods, fathers and mothers are themselves undermining the child’s health. Carbonated sweet drinks and salty snacks are not suitable food for children. Parents should try to not only limit their child’s consumption of such unhealthy products, but also try to ensure that their children receive the necessary amount of vitamins and minerals through a healthy diet.”
Experts advise both adults and children not to overindulge in salty foods. The recommended daily dose of sodium should not exceed 2,300 milligrams.
But according to recent research from the same university, the recommended dose of sodium is exceeded and American teenagers consume more salt, about 3,400 milligrams. Much of the sodium comes from restaurant dishes and processed foods.
Experts advise not to forget that it is difficult to convince a child that a product is harmful if the parents themselves set an example and eat such food.
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