Key result
A high-salt diet contributes to the development and maintenance of hypertension, with effects related to the suppression of the renin-angiotensin system and endothelial dysfunction.
This review summarizes experimental and epidemiological data on the mechanisms linking high salt intake to hypertension, focusing on the renin-angiotensin system and endothelial dysfunction.
May support sodium restriction counseling in hypertension; leaves open dominant pathway confirmation in prospective trials.
A high-salt diet is one of the major risk factors in the development and maintenance of hypertension. Numerous experimental and observational studies have confirmed the association of sodium intake with blood pressure levels. The effects of a high-salt diet are related to the function of the renin-angiotensin system, which is normally suppressed by a high-salt diet. Endothelial dysfunction probably plays an important role in the influence of high sodium intake on blood pressure, although the exact mechanisms remain elusive. Genetic factors are known to be very important, and various consomic and congenic rat strains as animal models have proven to be very useful in bringing us a step closer to understanding the interaction between salt intake and hypertension. In this article, experimental data obtained in studies on animals and humans, as well as epidemiological data are reviewed.
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Drenjančević et al. (2010) conducted a review in Hypertension. High-salt diet was evaluated. A high-salt diet contributes to the development and maintenance of hypertension, with effects related to the suppression of the renin-angiotensin system and endothelial dysfunction.
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