Energy Dense Salty Food Consumption Frequency Is Associated with Diastolic Hypertension in Spanish Children.

Gloria Pérez-Gimeno,Azahara I Rupérez,Luis A Moreno,Rocío Vázquez-Cobela,Mercedes Gil-Campos,Gloria Bueno-Lozano,Gonzalo Herráiz-Gastesi,María Rosaura Leis Trabazo,Concepción M Aguilera

doi:10.3390/nu12041027

Abstract

High blood pressure (BP) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and sodium consumption is related to high BP. Moreover, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) influence BP. For this reason, we investigated whether: 1) children with risk of elevated BP had a higher consumption frequency (CF) of energy-dense salty foods (EDSF), high-sugary foods (HSF) and SSB or a low DASH score; and 2) children with a higher CF of EDSF showed a worse anthropometric and metabolic profile. Anthropometry, BP and general biochemical parameters were measured in 687 Spanish children (5–16 years) with normal or excess weight. A food frequency questionnaire was used to calculate EDSF, HSF and SSB consumption, and modified DASH score. Results showed that sex and pubertal stage influenced modified DASH score. Diastolic hypertension was associated to higher CF of EDSF in the whole sample and to higher CF of SSB in pubertal children, both independently of nutritional status. In addition, CF of EDSF was positively associated with CF of HSF and SSB and inversely associated with modified DASH score. Targeted policies and intervention programs, specific for different age ranges, should be established that aim to reduce salt consumption from snacks and processed foods, which could reduce HSF and SSB consumption as well.

Highlights

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity prevalence has nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016, with childhood obesity being considered an important public health problem worldwide [1].Childhood obesity is closely associated to the presence of cardiovascular and metabolic alterations such as hypertension
The relationship between salt consumption and blood pressure (BP) has been investigated in several studies, but few studies focused on the salt intake from processed foods, which are rich in saturated fats
We investigated the association between the consumption frequency of three food groups defined according to their salt and sugar content, and the DASH dietary pattern, and the presence of systolic or/and diastolic HTN, distinguishing between risk of elevated BP and risk of hypertension

Summary

Introduction

Childhood obesity is closely associated to the presence of cardiovascular and metabolic alterations such as hypertension. This is supported by the parallel increase in the prevalence of elevated blood pressure (BP) in childhood [2]. Many studies show that high BP starting during childhood has a high probability of continuing into adulthood, which involves an increased cardiovascular risk for hypertensive children along their life [3,4,5]. Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) are the sugar source that shows an association with higher BP in people over 12 [14]. Some studies showed that salt intake is the major determinant of fluid and SSB consumption during childhood [9]

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