Excessive salt intake causes approximately 5 million deaths globally per year, and salt sensitivity affects about one-third of healthy individuals and over 50% of those with hypertension.
This narrative review highlights that salt sensitivity is a highly prevalent, independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and death, emphasizing the need to understand its underlying mechanisms and modifying factors.
Salt (sodium chloride) is an essential nutrient required to maintain physiological functions. However, for most people, daily salt intake far exceeds their physiological need and is habitually greater than recommended upper thresholds. Excess salt intake leads to elevation in blood pressure which drives cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Indeed, excessive salt intake is estimated to be responsible for ≈5 million deaths per year globally. For approximately one-third of otherwise healthy individuals (and >50% of those with hypertension), the effect of salt intake on blood pressure elevation is exaggerated; such people are categorized as salt sensitive and salt sensitivity of blood pressure is considered an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and death. The prevalence of salt sensitivity is higher in women than in men and, in both, increases with age. This narrative review considers the foundational concepts of salt sensitivity and the underlying effector systems that cause salt sensitivity. We also consider recent updates in preclinical and clinical research that are revealing new modifying factors that determine the blood pressure response to high salt intake.
Bailey et al. (Mon,) conducted a review in Salt sensitivity and hypertension. High salt intake and salt sensitivity was evaluated. Excessive salt intake causes approximately 5 million deaths globally per year, and salt sensitivity affects about one-third of healthy individuals and over 50% of those with hypertension.