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High levels, gradual increases of sodium raise BP, hypertension risk
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High and gradually increasing levels of dietary sodium intake were both associated with future BP increases and hypertension, according to the results of an observational study.
Previous research established a link between dietary sodium and hypertension, but risk for hypertension according to sodium intake had not yet been intensively studied, the researchers wrote.
They analyzed 4,523 participants (mean age, 54.1 years; 64.2% men) from Japan with normal BP at baseline. Sodium intake was estimated for each participant by calculating 24-hour urinary excretion from spot urine after a health checkup.
Median follow-up, which included at least three subsequent urine analyses per participant, was 1,143 days. The primary endpoint was development of hypertension.
Over the course of follow-up, 22.7% of participants developed hypertension, with a higher incidence rate among men (26.2%) than women (16.5%).
Tomonori Sugiura, MD, PhD, and colleagues stratified participants by whether their dietary sodium intake was above or below the dietary sodium targets recommended by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (< 3.5 g/day for men and < 3 g/day for women).
Compared with those below the recommended dietary sodium targets, those above them were more likely to develop hypertension (HR = 1.25; 95% CI, 1.04-1.5), Sugiura, assistant professor in the department of cardio-renal medicine and hypertension at Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan, and colleagues found.
Results from multivariate analyses indicated that baseline sodium intake (HR = 1.09; 95% CI, 1.02-1.17) and a yearly increase in intake (HR = 1.54; 95% CI, 1.32-1.81) were associated with hypertension, and both were correlated with yearly increases in systolic BP (standardized coefficient = 0.04, P = .03 for baseline intake; standardized coefficient = 0.14, P < .001 for yearly increase in intake).
“In our study, it did not matter whether their sodium levels were high at the beginning of the study or if they were low to begin with, then gradually increased over the years,” Sugiura said in a press release. “Both groups were at greater risk of developing high [BP].”
He said in the release that the findings also apply to the U.S. population.
“Americans consume an average of nearly 3,500 mg of sodium a day, which is about 1,000 mg more than any public health group recommends,” he said. “Reducing sodium intake can save lives, save money and improve heart health — no matter what background or nationality a person is.” – by Erik Swain
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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