Skip to main content
British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.) logoLink to British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.)
. 1985 Nov 30;291(6508):1525–1528. doi: 10.1136/bmj.291.6508.1525

Dietary sodium and arterial blood pressure: evidence against genetic susceptibility.

G C Watt, C J Foy, J T Hart, G Bingham, C Edwards, M Hart, E Thomas, P Walton
PMCID: PMC1418187  PMID: 3933736

Abstract

Thirty five subjects with both parents in the top third of their age specific blood pressure distributions and 31 subjects with both parents in the bottom third of their blood pressure distributions restricted their intake of sodium for eight weeks while taking part in a double blind, randomised crossover trial of supplements of sodium and placebo. A comparison of two periods of four weeks at different intakes of sodium showed no differences in blood pressure in either the groups as a whole or the subgroups who complied best with the diet and tablets. In the compliant subgroups mean urinary sodium excretions were above 120 mmol(mEq) and below 50 mmol/day. The study provides evidence against the hypothesis that people with a family history of high blood pressure are more susceptible in their blood pressure response to dietary sodium.

Full text

PDF
1525

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ashall F., Bramwell M. E., Harris H. A new marker for human cancer cells. 1 The Ca antigen and the Ca1 antibody. Lancet. 1982 Jul 3;2(8288):1–6. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(82)91150-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Beaglehole R., Eyles E., Salmond C., Prior I. Blood pressure in Tokelauan children in two contrasting environments. Am J Epidemiol. 1978 Oct;108(4):283–288. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112621. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bianchi G., Cusi D., Barlassina C., Lupi G. P., Ferrari P., Picotti G. B., Gatti M., Polli E. Renal dysfunction as a possible cause of essential hypertension in predisposed subjects. Kidney Int. 1983 Jun;23(6):870–875. doi: 10.1038/ki.1983.109. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cooper R., Miller K., Trevisan M., Sempos C., Larbi E., Ueshima H., Le Grady D., Ostrow D., Stamler J., Spalvins A. Family history of hypertension and red cell cation transport in high school students. J Hypertens. 1983 Aug;1(2):145–152. doi: 10.1097/00004872-198308000-00006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Devynck M. A., Pernollet M. G., Rosenfeld J. B., Meyer P. Measurement of digitalis-like compound in plasma: application in studies of essential hypertension. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1983 Sep 3;287(6393):631–634. doi: 10.1136/bmj.287.6393.631. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Freis E. D. Salt, volume and the prevention of hypertension. Circulation. 1976 Apr;53(4):589–595. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.53.4.589. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Grim C. E., Luft F. C., Miller J. Z., Brown P. L., Gannon M. A., Weinberger M. H. Effects of sodium loading and depletion in normotensive first-degree relatives of essential hypertensives. J Lab Clin Med. 1979 Nov;94(5):764–771. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gudmundsson O., Berglund G., Herlitz H., Andersson O., Jonsson O. Influence of age on the response to increased salt intake: effects on blood pressure and sodium in erythrocytes. J Hypertens Suppl. 1983 Dec;1(2):15–17. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hart J. T. The distribution of mortality from coronary heart disease in South Wales. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1970 May;19(94):258–268. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Higgins M. W., Keller J. B., Metzner H. L., Moore F. E., Ostrander L. D., Jr Studies of blood pressure in Tecumseh, Michigan. II. Antecedents in childhood of high blood pressure in young adults. Hypertension. 1980 Jul-Aug;2(4 Pt 2):117–123. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hofman A., Hazebroek A., Valkenburg H. A. A randomized trial of sodium intake and blood pressure in newborn infants. JAMA. 1983 Jul 15;250(3):370–373. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lever A. F., Beretta-Piccoli C., Brown J. J., Davies D. L., Fraser R., Robertson J. I. Sodium and potassium in essential hypertension. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1981 Aug 15;283(6289):463–468. doi: 10.1136/bmj.283.6289.463. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Pietinen P. I., Wong O., Altschul A. M. Electrolyte output, blood pressure, and family history of hypertension. Am J Clin Nutr. 1979 May;32(5):997–1005. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/32.5.997. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Prior I. A., Evans J. G., Harvey H. P., Davidson F., Lindsey M. Sodium intake and blood pressure in two Polynesian populations. N Engl J Med. 1968 Sep 5;279(10):515–520. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196809052791004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Puska P., Iacono J. M., Nissinen A., Korhonen H. J., Vartianinen E., Pietinen P., Dougherty R., Leino U., Mutanen M., Moisio S. Controlled, randomised trial of the effect of dietary fat on blood pressure. Lancet. 1983 Jan 1;1(8314-5):1–5. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(83)91556-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Rouse I. L., Beilin L. J., Armstrong B. K., Vandongen R. Blood-pressure-lowering effect of a vegetarian diet: controlled trial in normotensive subjects. Lancet. 1983 Jan 1;1(8314-5):5–10. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(83)91557-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Skrabal F., Herholz H., Neumayr M., Hamberger L., Ledochowski M., Sporer H., Hörtnagl H., Schwarz S., Schönitzer D. Salt sensitivity in humans is linked to enhanced sympathetic responsiveness and to enhanced proximal tubular reabsorption. Hypertension. 1984 Mar-Apr;6(2 Pt 1):152–158. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Watt G. C., Foy C. J. Dietary sodium and arterial pressure: problems of studies within a single population. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1982 Sep;36(3):197–201. doi: 10.1136/jech.36.3.197. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Watt G. C., Foy C. J., Hart J. T. Comparison of blood pressure, sodium intake, and other variables in offspring with and without a family history of high blood pressure. Lancet. 1983 Jun 4;1(8336):1245–1248. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(83)92697-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Medical Journal (Clinical research ed.) are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES