Salt content in meals of boarding schools and students' restaurants in Novi Sad

Abstract

Investigation brought evidence that salt intake was in a positive relationship with systolic blood pressure and that children with higher blood pressure were more susceptible to develop hypertension in adulthood. The purpose of this paper was to determine total sodium chloride content in average daily meal (breakfast, dinner and supper) prepared for adolescents in boarding schools and young adults in student's restaurants. In the meal time, samples of breakfast, dinner and supper, of 46 daily meals dedicated to adolescents and 63 daily meals dedicated to students were taken from boarding schools/students' restaurants. Standardized laboratory methods were applied to determine proteins, fats, ash and water in order to calculate energy value of meal. Titrimetric method with AgNO3, and K2CrO4 as indicator, was applied in order to determine chloride ion and after that a content of NaCl was calculated as % NaCl. Descriptive statistical methods were applied in order to present average salt content in the whole and in 100g and in 100 kcal of average daily meal. Student's t-test was applied to determine statistical differences of sodium chloride amount among meals. Energy value of the average adolescent's and student's daily meal was 2938.8 ± 457.3kcal (CV 15.6%) and 3338.4 ± 446.3kcal (CV 13.4%), respectively. Energy value of the average student's daily meal was significantly higher (p<0.001). Energy density of the average adolescent's and student's meal was 130.0 ± 22.5 kcal/100g (CV 17.3%) and 136.8 ± 15.7 kcal/100g (CV 11.5%), respectively. Sodium chloride content in average daily meal for adolescents and students was 18.0 ± 3.3g (CV 18.4%) and 16.8 ± 3.7g (CV 22.0%). The difference was not statistically significant. Sodium chloride content in 100g of adolescent's and student's meals was 0.8 ± 0.1g (CV 18.4%) and 0.7 ± 0.1g (CV 21.3%), respectively. The difference was statistically significant. Sodium chloride content in 100kcal of the average adolescent's and student's meal was 0.6 ± 0.1g (CV 17.8%) and 0.5 ± 0.1g (CV 24.2%), respectively. The difference was statistically significant. Adolescents and young adults in Novi Sad that consume meals with 16-18g of salt are overloaded with sodium and it is reasonable to expect that some of them could not cope with sodium overload and might develop undesirable response to it.