News - Hypertension Week of Sept 28, 2003/ Vol. 2 No. 39

Study: Reduced Sodium Diet Won't Increase Heart Disease or Stroke Risk Factors

Reducing the amount of sodium in a person's diet to fight high blood pressure does not increase blood cholesterol or triglyceride levels, according to a study presented September 25 at an American Heart Association conference on blood pressure in Washington D.C.

Several small studies had previously suggested that extreme reductions in sodium would increase a person's lipid levels and the risk of a heart attack or stroke. This new finding to the contrary is significant for the nation's battle against hypertension, according to the researchers.

The study, which was the largest of its kind, looked at what happened when participants consumed either a high-, medium- or low-sodium diets.

"Basically, we found that there was no change in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "good") cholesterol or triglycerides with any of these amounts of sodium," said study author Dr. Lawrence J. Appel, professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

"Some people have claimed that harmful effects of sodium reduction on lipids might negate the beneficial effects on blood pressure, and there are some who say that could be harmful," said Appel. "Our results are persuasive: Sodium reduction to the recommended level or lower has no effects on lipids."

Other sources: American Heart Association