Why the study?
Does a high K+, low Na+, or combined diet reduce blood pressure in young spontaneously hypertensive rats?
Does a high K+, low Na+, or combined diet reduce blood pressure in young spontaneously hypertensive rats?
In spontaneously hypertensive rats, high potassium and low sodium diets individually lower blood pressure through different mechanisms, but their combination eliminates the antihypertensive effect.
Dietary interactions in hypertensive rats caution against assuming additive BP effects; leaves open human translation and optimal strategies.
Blood pressure was measured after treatment with a high K+, a low Na+ and a combined high K+/low Na+ diet in young spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). A high K+ diet reduced blood pressure by approximately 10 mmHg during the development of hypertension. This decrease was accompanied by a significant increase in water intake and urine volume and a significant decrease in plasma renin activity (PRA). A low Na+ diet also decreased blood pressure significantly, but, in contrast to the high K+ diet, water intake and urine volume significantly decreased and PRA increased. When both diets were given together, the antihypertensive effects of both were eliminated. Thus while an increase in dietary K+ and a decrease in dietary Na+ are both effective antihypertensive regimens in SHR, the mechanism of action of each appears to be different and may be antagonistic in these animals.
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Sugden et al. (1987) studied this question.
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