Long-term effects of neonatal sodium restriction on blood pressure

Hypertension. 1997 Apr;29(4):913-7. doi: 10.1161/01.hyp.29.4.913.

Abstract

In 1980, a randomized trial was conducted among 476 Dutch newborn infants to study the effect of a low or normal sodium diet on blood pressure during the first 6 months of life. At the end of the trial, systolic blood pressure in the low sodium group (n = 231) was 2.1 mm Hg lower than in the control group (n = 245). To investigate whether contrasting levels of sodium intake in infancy are associated with blood pressure differences in adolescence, we measured blood pressure in 167 children from the original cohort (35%) after 15 years of follow-up. We assessed the differences in systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels between the diet groups using a multivariate regression model with adjustment for potential confounders. The adjusted systolic blood pressure at follow-up was 3.6 mm Hg lower (95% confidence interval, -6.6 to -0.5) and the diastolic pressure was 2.2 mm Hg lower (95% confidence interval, -4.5 to 0.2) in children who had been assigned to the low sodium group (n = 71) compared with the control group (n = 96). These findings suggest that sodium intake in infancy may be important in relation to blood pressure later in life.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Age Factors
  • Blood Pressure*
  • Diastole
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena*
  • Infant, Newborn*
  • Male
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Netherlands
  • Regression Analysis
  • Sex Factors
  • Sodium, Dietary*
  • Systole
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Sodium, Dietary