BackgroundStudies have shown sodium restriction to have a beneficial effect on blood
pressure (BP) of hypertensive patients.ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of light salt substitution for regular salt on BP of
hypertensive patients.MethodsUncontrolled hypertensive patients of both sexes, 20 to 65 years-old, on stable
doses of antihypertensive drugs were randomized into Intervention Group (IG -
receiving light salt) and Control Group (CG - receiving regular salt). Systolic BP
(SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were analyzed by using casual BP measurements and
Home Blood Pressure Monitoring (HBPM), and sodium and potassium excretion was
assessed on 24-hour urine samples. The patients received 3 g of salt for daily
consumption for 4 weeks.ResultsThe study evaluated 35 patients (65.7% women), 19 allocated to the IG and 16 to
the CG. The mean age was 55.5 ± 7.4 years. Most participants had completed the
Brazilian middle school (up to the 8th grade; n = 28; 80.0%), had a family income
of up to US$ 600 (n = 17; 48.6%) and practiced regular physical activity (n = 19;
54.3%). Two patients (5.7%) were smokers and 40.0% consumed alcohol regularly (n =
14). The IG showed a significant reduction in both SBP and DBP on the casual
measurements and HBPM (p < 0.05) and in sodium excretion (p = 0.016). The CG
showed a significant reduction only in casual SBP (p = 0.032).ConclusionsThe light salt substitution for regular salt significantly reduced BP of
hypertensive patients.
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