AP February 2, 2015, 7:04 AM
CHICAGO -- Many packaged
meals and snacks for toddlers contain worrisome amounts of salt and
sugar, potentially creating an early taste for foods that may contribute
to obesity and other health risks, according to a new government study.
About
seven in 10 toddler dinners studied contained too much salt, and most
cereal bars, breakfast pastries and snacks for infants and toddlers
contained extra sugars, according to the study by researchers at the
federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They advise parents
to read food labels carefully and select healthier choices.
The
researchers analyzed package information and labels for more than 1,000
foods marketed for infants and toddlers. Results appear in the journal
Pediatrics on Monday.
The study notes that almost one in four U.S. children ages 2 to 5 are
overweight or obese
-- and that almost 80 percent of kids ages 1 to 3 exceed the
recommended maximum level of daily salt, which is 1,500 milligrams.
Excess sugar and salt can
contribute to obesity and elevated blood pressure even in childhood, but also later on.
"We
also know that about one in nine children have blood pressure above the
normal range for their age, and that sodium, excess sodium, is related
to increased blood pressure," said the CDC's Mary Cogswell, the study's
lead author. "Blood pressure tracks from when children are young up
through adolescence into when they're adults. Eating foods which are
high in sodium can set a child up for high blood pressure and later on
for cardiovascular disease."
The researchers collected data on
foods available in 2012. They didn't list brand names, but foods studied
included popular brands of baby food, toddler dinners including
packaged macaroni and cheese, mini hot dogs, rice cakes, crackers, dried
fruit snacks and yogurt treats.
The Grocery Manufacturers of
America, a trade group whose members include makers of foods for infants
and toddlers, issued a statement saying the study "does not accurately
reflect the wide range of healthy choices available in today's
marketplace ... because it is based on 2012 data that does not reflect
new products with reduced sodium levels."
The study "could
needlessly alarm and confuse busy parents as they strive to develop
suitable meal options that their children will enjoy," the group said.
The
researchers said theirs is the most recent, comprehensive data on
commercial foods for young children. Cogswell acknowledged there have
been some improvements in the marketplace and said the findings aren't
all negative.
"The good news is that the majority of infant foods
were low in sodium," she said. It was surprising, she said, that "seven
out of 10 toddler foods were high in the amount of sodium per serving
and that a substantial proportion of toddler meals and the majority of
other toddler foods and infant's and toddler's snacks contained an added
sugar."
Foods for toddlers should contain no more than about 210
milligrams of salt or sodium per serving, under Institute of Medicine
recommendations, but the average for toddler meals studied was 361
milligrams -- almost 1.5 times higher than that limit. Sodium amounts
per serving ranged from 100 milligrams to more than 900 milligrams.
High
sugar content was defined as more than 35 percent of calories per
portion coming from sugar, based on Institute of Medicine guidelines for
foods served in schools. Many foods in the study exceeded that. On
average, sugar contributed 47 percent of calories for infant mixed
grains and fruit; 66 percent of calories in dried fruit snacks, and more
than 35 percent of calories in dairy-based desserts.
Also, about
one in three toddler dinners and most toddler cereal bars and dried
fruit-based snacks contained at least one added sugar.
Added sugars, including high fructose corn syrup, dextrose and glucose, raised concerns because they
boost calorie totals without health benefits."It's just additional calories that aren't needed," Cogswell said.
Kathleen
Burnett of Chicago said she tries to buy healthy foods for her three
young daughters and recently switched brands when she found out her
favorite kids' yogurt was full of sugar."When you're in the
grocery store and things seem quick and simple, it's very tempting to
take those things, and we certainly have," Burnett said. "We just try to
use moderation in those prepackaged foods."
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