What evidence suggests a relationship between sodium intake and blood pressure in healthy and hypertensive adults?
Several epidemiologic studies suggest an association of blood pressure with dietary sodium intake and controlled clinical trials indicate that reducing sodium intake lowers blood pressure. In addition, sodium and potassium may interact in influencing blood pressure control. Eleven studies report a positive association between increased sodium intake and hypertension (Cheung et al, 2000; Hu and Tian, 2001; Liu et al, 2001; Schroder et al, 2002; Geleijnse et al, 2003; He and MacGregor, 2003; Hajjar and Kotchen, 2003; Kwok et al, 2003; Geleijnse et al, 2004; Khaw et al, 2004; Zhao et al, 2004); five of these studies also report a positive association between the sodium-potassium ratio and blood pressure. Three randomized controlled trials and three meta-analyses (He et al, 2000; Appel et al, 2001; Espeland et al, 2002; Geleijnse et al, 2003; He and MacGregor, 2003; Geleijnse et al, 2004) report reductions in sodium intake, ranging from 920mg to 2,300mg per day (40mmol to 100mmol per day),
