November 5, 2024

High Blood Pressure? Adaptation Intervention Can Make Low-Salt Food Taste Better

The scientists developed the Sodium Watchers Program– Hypertension (SWaP-HTN) for progressive taste adaptation to low-salt food. This research study analyzed its short-term effects on salt intake, blood pressure, preference for salted food, and satisfaction of a sodium-restricted diet plan.
The intervention group got 16 weeks of education and follow-up with a study nurse through video call on a tablet. Sessions were held weekly for six weeks, then every two weeks for 10 weeks. The program was individualized to each clients barriers and weekly objectives and consisted of salt added at the table, salt utilized throughout cooking, grocery shopping, and consuming in restaurants. Individuals received an electronic device that detects salt material to enable them to identify and prevent high-salt food.
Teacher Chung explained: “One of the initial steps was for clients to recognize how much salt they were eating. Using the electronic gadget they might check the salt content of dining establishment meals and ask the chef to eliminate or lower salt on their next go to. They also used it in your home to lower the salt material in their own cooking. Some individuals immediately included salt at the table prior to tasting the food so we asked individuals to count the variety of shakes and set objectives for reducing it. Most participants removed the salt shaker from the table within 3 weeks.”.
At baseline and 16 weeks, all participants provided a 24-hour urine sample to assess sodium consumption and had their blood pressure measured. In addition, choice for salted food and pleasure of a salt-restricted diet were evaluated on a 10-point scale.
The average age of participants was 63 years and 55% were men. Three clients withdrew from the study and the last analysis included 17 and 9 individuals in the intervention and normal care groups, respectively. The researchers compared modifications from standard to study completion in between groups. The intervention resulted in a significant decrease in sodium intake and increased pleasure of a salt-restricted diet plan. There was a trend of decreasing mean systolic blood pressure in the intervention group, from 143.4 to 133.9 mmHg, but it did not reach statistical significance. The intervention did not change the preference for salted food.
Professor Chung said: “In the intervention group, sodium intake dropped by 1,158 mg daily, which was a 30% decrease from baseline, while the control group increased daily consumption by 500 mg. Enjoyment of a low salt diet increased in the intervention group, from 4.8 to 6.5 on a 10-point scale, although patients still preferred salted food. It is likely that the intervention did not equate to a statistically substantial fall in high blood pressure because of the small sample size.”.
She concluded: “Our study shows that we can retrain our taste to take pleasure in low sodium food and slowly reduce the amount of salt we eat. The gradual taste adaptation program has the potential to manage high blood pressure however requires to be tested in a larger trial with longer follow up.”.
Notes.

Financing: University of Kentucky College of Nursing professors assistance grant.

The program was embellished to each clients barriers and weekly goals and included salt included at the table, salt utilized throughout cooking, grocery shopping, and consuming in restaurants. Participants received an electronic device that identifies salt content to enable them to determine and prevent high-salt food.
Using the electronic gadget they might test the salt material of dining establishment meals and ask the chef to reduce or remove salt on their next check out. Some people instantly included salt at the table before tasting the food so we asked individuals to count the number of shakes and set objectives for reducing it. Satisfaction of a low salt diet plan increased in the intervention group, from 4.8 to 6.5 on a 10-point scale, although patients still preferred salted food.

According to a new research study in clients with hypertension, it is possible for palate to discover and adapt to like food with less salt.
A taste adjustment intervention lowers salt usage and increases the enjoyment of a sodium-restricted diet in clients with high blood pressure (hypertension), according to a little study provided at ACNAP-EuroHeartCare Congress 2022, a clinical congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1.
” One of the major barriers to staying with a low salt diet plan is that people do not like the taste, however few studies have actually addressed this concern,” said research study author Professor Misook Chung of the University of Kentucky, Lexington, US. “Our pilot research study in patients with high blood pressure reveals that it is possible to alter taste perception and learn to like food with less salt.”.
Hypertension affects more than one billion individuals around the world and is the leading international reason for sudden death.2 A healthy lifestyle, consisting of salt constraint, is advised to postpone the need for blood pressure-lowering drugs or to complement their effects. However, the advantages of minimized salt consumption programs on high blood pressure tend to decrease with time, partly due to poor adherence.

The abstract A progressive taste adaption intervention decreased dietary salt consumption amongst grownups with high blood pressure will exist during the session ePoster session 3.
Williams B, Mancia G, Spiering W, et al. 2018 ESC/ESH Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension. Eur Heart J. 2018; 39:3021– 3104.