Role of sodium reduction in the treatment and prevention of hypertension

Evidence relating dietary sodium and blood pressure comes from a variety of sources: animal experiments, observational epidemiologic studies, migration studies, and randomized controlled trials. In this review, we examine new findings in each of these areas published during 1995 and 1996. Results from both observational epidemiologic studies and randomized controlled trials demonstrated a dose-response association between dietary sodium and blood pressure in humans. The relationship of dietary sodium to blood pressure was modified by age, race, body weight, and initial level of blood pressure. On average, a 100-mmol decrease in urinary sodium was associated with a reduction of approximately 3 mm Hg in systolic and a 2 mm Hg in diastolic blood pressure. In a general population, this blood pressure reduction would substantially reduce the societal burden of cardiovascular and renal diseases.