.630, p < .001. Aortic pulse wave velocity in the Guangzhou group was consistently lower than that in the Beijing group when compared in subjects with the same arterial pressure at the same age, indicating a difference in aortic distensibility between the two groups, independent of arterial pressure. Results in two ethnically similar population groups with low serum cholesterol and low prevalence of atherosclerosis but markedly different prevalence of hypertension suggest that salt intake has an independent effect on arteriolar tone and arterial wall properties, with the former indirectly and the latter directly contributing to increased arterial stiffness with age.

No abstract