Abstract
The studies on the relation between Na intake and blood pressure were started at the Brookhaven National Laboratories in Upton (New York) by Lewis K Dahl in 1961, however the story goes back to our hunter-gatherer predecessors who, between 750,000 and 10,000 years ago, ate diets proving a Na intake of 690mg/day. The relevance of this finding became evident when the data of the studies on Yanomamo Indians of Brazil and Venezuela (living in the tropical forest) became available. They showed that in these populations sodium intake averages 1.34±2.01 mEq/24 hours, and that their blood pressure increases from the first to the second decade of life and then tapers down. Studies in chimpanzees, a species genetically similar to humans, the DASH Trial, the Intersalt Study, various meta-analyses, the data in persons with stroke, the blood pressure profile of newborns on low Na intake, and various studies in hypertensives with and without Chronic Kidney Disease, have demonstrated the beneficial effects of a restricted low salt intake alone or as an adjunct to drug therapy on blood pressure profiles.
Keywords: Blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, DASH diets, Intersalt Study, Na intake by Yanomamo Indians of Brazil and Venezuela, salt intake and stroke.
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