Abstract
Background/Objectives:
The relationship between sodium intake and arterial blood pressure (BP) values in adolescence is still controversial. The intake of high-sodium processed foods as snacks has gone up worldwide. The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to analyze the association between BP values and sodium intake from snacks.
Subjects/Methods:
The mean weekly consumption of snacks was evaluated in 1200 randomly selected adolescents aged 11–13 years by a food-frequency questionnaire; their anthropometric and BP values were measured by trained researchers. A dietary 24-h food-recall questionnaire was randomly given to 400 of the 1200 adolescents.
Results:
Mean sodium intake from snacks was 1.4 g/day. Systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP, respectively) significantly increased from the lower to the higher tertile of sodium from snacks and with increasing frequency of salty snacks consumption. In a multiple logistic regression model, both being in the highest SBP quartile and in the highest DBP quartile were significantly associated with the intake of sodium from snacks (odds ratio (OR)=1.48; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14–1.91 and OR=2.17; 95% CI 1.68–2.79, respectively), the consumption of >2/day salty snacks (OR=1.86; 95% CI 1.32–2.63 and OR=2.38; 95% CI 1.69–3.37, respectively) and body mass index (OR=1.26; 95% CI 1.22–1.31 and OR=1.14; 95% CI 1.10–1.18, respectively) but not with age, sex or exercise levels. In the 400 individuals, the average total sodium intake was 3.1 g/day and was significantly higher in individuals belonging to the highest quartile of SBP and DBP.
Conclusions:
Sodium intake from snacks was almost half of the average daily sodium consumption and was significantly associated with BP values in adolescents.
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Author Contributions
Valentina Ponzo participated in the conception and design of the study, supervision of data collection, data analysis, interpretation of the findings of the study, manuscript writing and revision. Gian Pasquale Ganzit participated in the data analysis, interpretation of the findings, manuscript writing and revision. Laura Soldati participated in the data collection, interpretation of the findings and manuscript revision. Luca De Carli and Marilena Durazzo participated in the data analysis, interpretation of the findings of the study and manuscript revision. Ilaria Fanzola and Maria Maiandi participated in the data collection, interpretation of the findings of the study and manuscript revision. Simona Bo participated in the conception and design of the study, interpretation of the findings of the study, manuscript writing and revision. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
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Ponzo, V., Ganzit, G., Soldati, L. et al. Blood pressure and sodium intake from snacks in adolescents. Eur J Clin Nutr 69, 681–686 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2015.9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2015.9
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