The Relationship between Low-Sodium Salt Intake and Both Blood Pressure Level and Hypertension in Chinese Residents

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 16; no. 12; p. 1909
• Main Authors: Wang, Cuicui, Lu, Zilong, Zhang, Jiyu, Chen, Xiaorong, Xu, Jianwei, Zhang, Bingyin, Dong, Jing, Ren, Jie, Xu, Chunxiao, Gao, Congcong, Guo, Xiaolei, Wu, Jing, Ma, Jixiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 17.06.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Aged; Antihypertensives; Asian People; Blood pressure; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Body mass index; China - epidemiology; Diabetes; diastolic blood pressure; Diet, Sodium-Restricted; dose–response; Drug dosages; East Asian People; Female; Food; Gender; Glucose; Hospitals; Humans; Hypertension; Hypertension - epidemiology; Hypertension - etiology; low-sodium salt intake; Male; Males; Marital status; Metabolic disorders; Middle Aged; Obesity; Potassium; Project evaluation; Regression analysis; Risk Factors; Salt; Self report; Sodium; Sodium Chloride, Dietary - administration & dosage; Sodium Chloride, Dietary - adverse effects; systolic blood pressure; China; dose–response; diastolic blood pressure; hypertension; systolic blood pressure; low-sodium salt intake
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu16121909

Compared to common salt, low-sodium salt can reduce blood pressure to varying degrees. However, the exact dosage relationship remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the dose-response relationships between low-sodium salt intake and systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), as well as the risk of hypertension, and to determine the optimal range for low-sodium salt intake. We investigated the basic characteristics and dietary profile of 350 individuals who consumed low-sodium salt. The samples were divided into three groups according to the 33.3rd and 66.6th percentiles of low-sodium salt intake in condiments (Q1: <4.72 g/d, Q2: ≥4.72 g/d, and <6.88 g/d, and Q3: ≥6.88 g/d). The restricted cubic spline results indicated that low-sodium salt intake decreased linearly with SBP and DBP, while low-sodium intake demonstrated a non-linear, L-shaped relationship with the risk of hypertension, with a safe range of 5.81 g to 7.66 g. The multiple linear regression analysis revealed that compared with group Q1, the DBP in group Q2 decreased by 2.843 mmHg (95%CI: -5.552, -0.133), and the SBP in group Q3 decreased by 4.997 mmHg (95%CI: -9.136, -0.858). Exploratory subgroup analyses indicated that low-sodium salt intake had a significant impact on reducing SBP in males, DBP in females, SBP in rural populations, and DBP in urban populations. The intake of low-sodium salt adheres to the principle of moderation, with 5.81-7.66 g potentially serving as a pivotal threshold.