This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Freedman, D. A. Articles by Petitti, D. B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Freedman, D. A. Articles by Petitti, D. B. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Salt and Blood Pressure: Conventional Wisdom Reconsidered

University of California, Berkeley

Diana B. Petitti

Kaiser Permanente Southern California

The salt hypothesis is that higher levels of salt in the diet lead to higher levels of blood pressure, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Intersalt, a cross-sectional study of salt levels and blood pressures in 52 populations, is often cited to support the salt hypothesis, but the data are somewhat contradictory. Four of the populations (Kenya, Papua, and two Indian tribes in Brazil) do have low levels of salt and blood pressure. Across the other 48 populations, however, blood pressures go down as salt levels go up, contradicting the hypothesis. Experimental evidence suggests that the effect of a large reduction in salt intake on blood pressure is modest, and health consequences remain to be determined. Funding agencies and medical journals have taken a stronger position favoring the salt hypothesis than is warranted, raising questions about the interaction between the policy process and science.

Key Words: salt • electrolytes • blood pressure • Intersalt • diet

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. A Freeman and D. B Petitti Commentary: Salt, blood pressure and public policy Int. J. Epidemiol., April 1, 2002; 31(2): 319 - 320. [Full Text] [PDF]