T he Workshop on Sodium and Blood Pressure was convened by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in Bethesda, Md, on January 28 and 29, 1999, to update earlier reviews of this topic. [1][2][3] Other topics covered were sodium intake in relation to other cardiovascular disease (CVD) and non-CVD conditions, research needs, and public policy considerations. More than 55 invited speakers and other attendees from the United States and abroad reviewed and discussed the scientific information. This review synthesizes the presentations and discussions.
Overview of Relation Between Sodium and Blood PressureEpidemiological studies conducted over the past 50 years have shown a clear curvilinear relation of higher adult blood pressure (BP) levels to higher rates of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, heart failure, and kidney failure. A continuous relation is apparent from below the 120/80 mm Hg level. Thus, a significant portion of CVD occurs in persons whose BP has not reached the arbitrary 140/90 mm Hg level defining hypertension. Studies show unequivocally that lowering high BP in hypertensive patients can reduce the likelihood of developing or dying from CVD, including CHD and stroke. Dietary factors in individuals and in the population at large have important effects on BP levels, which are generally assumed to translate to CVD risk. For the nonhypertensive subset, a population-wide approach to lowering BP (an approach based on lifestyle modifications that have been shown to prevent or delay increases in BP) could affect the total CVD burden as much as or more than treating only those with established hypertension.There is an abundance of scientific evidence demonstrating a direct relation between salt intake and BP. Studies in laboratory animals show that high BP can be induced by diet. 4 Recent evidence comes from a randomized trial involving 26 chimpanzees that were given a low salt/high potassium diet (preintervention period). Subsequently, one half of these nonhuman primates continued this diet, and the remainder received increasing amounts of additional dietary salt (5 g/d for 19 weeks, 10 g/d for 3 weeks, and 15 g/d for 67 weeks). BP increased progressively to levels averaging 33/10 mm Hg higher in the group consuming additional salt. On cessation of the additional salt, the BPs fell quickly to preintervention levels. 5 A positive relation between dietary sodium and BP has been shown from observational studies in humans. The Yi People Study 6 in China compared Yi farmers in remote areas with a group of Yi farmers who had migrated to an urban area and a group of Han residents of the same urban area. BP rose very little with age in the Yi farmers but increased with age in Yi migrants and Han residents. In a sample of 419 men, there was a positive relation between sodium intake and higher BP. Other factors, such as body mass index (BMI), were also involved. 6 Several large, long-term, randomized clinical trials have shown that a moderate reduction in sodium intake reduces BP levels. The Trials of...