Abstract
Objective: The aim of the study was to examine the adherence to a salt restriction diet and the effect of salt restriction on blood pressure in free living subjects with mildly elevated blood pressure.
Design: Subjects with mildly elevated blood pressure participated in a controlled study on the effect of salt restriction on blood pressure. Subjects received oral and written instructions by a clinical nutritionist to reduce sodium chloride intake to five grams per day. A low sodium bread (0.5%) was supplied free of charge for the subjects during the whole low-sodium period (between weeks 4–24).
Subjects and methods: Subjects were recruited from previous studies at the Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine and from local occupational health care services. Twenty-four men and 15 women aged 28–65 y with the mean daytime ambulatory diastolic blood pressure between 90–105 mmHg and office diastolic blood pressure between 95–115 mmHg were included in the study. Salt intake was monitored by 4-d food diaries and 24-h urinary sodium excretion.
Results: Twenty percent of the subjects achieved a urinary sodium excretion level of less than 74 mmol/24 h corresponding to a salt intake of five grams per day. There was a significant decline (7.1±12.7/4.2±7.5) in systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels during the salt restriction diet.
Conclusions: Even moderate salt restriction seems to be effective in the treatment of mildly elevated blood pressure. However, the recommended salt intake level of less than five grams per day is difficult to achieve even after intensive counselling and regular use of low salt bread.
Sponsorship: F. Hoffmann-La Roche Limited Company; The Finnish Cultural Foundation of Northern Savo, The Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, The University of Kuopio.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Guarantor: MIJ Uusitupa.
Contributorship: MIJ Uusitupa initiated the placebo controlled study on the effects of salt restriction alone or in combination with cilazapril for the treatment of mildly elevated blood pressure. He was the principal investigator of the study. H Litmanen, L Niskanen and R Rauramaa were physicians of the study. SB Väisänen was responsible for the laboratory measurements. MH Korhonen was the clinical nutritionist and coordinated the study and she is also the main author of the present paper. All the investigators have contributed to the completion of the paper.
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Korhonen, M., Litmanen, H., Rauramaa, R. et al. Adherence to the salt restriction diet among people with mildly elevated blood pressure. Eur J Clin Nutr 53, 880–885 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600869
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600869
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Randomized controlled trial of a computer-tailored multiple health behaviour intervention in general practice: 12-month follow-up results
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2014)
-
Non-pharmacological treatment of hypertension in primary health care: A comparative clinical trial of two education strategies in health and nutrition
BMC Public Health (2011)
-
Optimising nutrition in chronic renal insufficiency?progression of disease
Pediatric Nephrology (2004)