7 Healthcast: Salts & sweets

Kids loading up on salty snacks may turn to calorie filled soda to quench their thirst. A British study looked at the dietary habits of more than 1,600 children ages 4 to 18 for one week.

"What the study found is a direct relationship with the amount of salt taken in and fluid taken in and they also found one third of the fluid children were taking in were high calorie high sugar soft drinks," said children's high blood pressure specialist Dr. Avi Traum.

With childhood obesity at epidemic proportions the research suggests cutting down on salt may help kids cut down on extra sweets and calories.

"The rates of salt intake in this study are 3 to 4 times what our nutritional authorities in this country recommend," Dr. Traum said.

Researchers say cutting salt intake by half translates into a decrease of about 2 soft drinks a week. Dr. Traum says it's important to pay attention to your child's salt intake.

"It's not simply salt put on their foods, but salt is used as preservative, to enhance taste, there is salt in everything we eat," he said.

Dr. Traum says a reduction in salt can be a simple way towards better health for your child.

The researchers note that in Britain and the U.S. 75 percent of the salt we consume is from processed foods. But it will take more than just cutting back on salt to get kids in shape- a healthy diet and regular exercise are needed too.

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