Salt, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease

Intervention on lifestyle has been suggested as a cost-effective strategy on prevention and treatment of hypertension. In this commentary, we focus on the evidence supporting a role of dietary salt consumption in blood pressure control and development of cardiovascular disease discussing the findings of some recent studies. Current evidence indicates a continuous relationship between dietary salt and blood pressure and, despite that this relationship appears to be limited to subjects with highest salt intake, this evidence supports the benefits of appropriate salt intake reduction. Conversely, evidence of possible benefits of dietary salt reduction on cardiovascular outcomes remains unproved and will require further investigation.