Refined sugar
Youngsters are still being fed too much sugar and sodium and processed foods are again to blame.
A comprehensive new study conducted by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded processed foods for American youngsters might lead to cardiovascular diseases in their later years.
The average snack chowed-down by toddlers has a higher concentration of sodium compared to potato chips eaten by adults, CDC noted.
It estimated 72 percent of toddler dinners were high in sodium. That comes to an average of 2,295 milligrams of sodium per meal compared to the recommended intake of no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day.
CDC pointed out the average concentration of sodium in 34 kinds of savory snacks such as crackers for infants and toddlers was 486 mg per 100 grams of food. This is higher than the amount of sodium in salted potato chips for adults, which is some 450 mg of sodium per 100 grams.
Youngsters still consume too much sugar. Some one-third of dinners made for toddlers and 97 percent of breakfast pastries and cereal bars have at least one kind of added sugar. So did for this age group.
What was surprising was CDC's revelation that 88 percent of fruit juices and other drinks marketed for infants and toddlers have added sugar. All these contribute to the obesity epidemic plaguing Americans.
The obesity problem is also acute among youngsters. A recent study published by The LA Times noted 23 percent of American kids between the ages of 2 and 5 are considered either overweight or obese.
Obese children or children that eat too much sodium confront an increased risk of high blood pressure. This condition will carry over into adulthood, making them prone to cardiovascular disease, among other illnesses.
The study was published Monday by the journal Pediatrics.
