Comparing Sodium Intake Strategies in Heart Failure

I n the past 2 decades, heart failure (HF) research has focused primarily on drugs and devices. In contrast, evidence remains scarce and mostly observational for dietary sodium restriction, ] Recommendations are either nonspecific or ranging between 2000 and 3000 mg/d, 9 largely based on opinions or observational studies. In explicit acknowledgment of the evidence gap, the recent European Society of Cardiology guidelines for HF The recent American College of Cardiology Foundation and American Heart Association guidelines recommend (class IIa) that sodium restriction is reasonable for patients with HF with congestive symptoms, but do not recommend a specific target level. The inconsistency of guidelines underlines the weak database that supports this cornerstone treatment.