The effect of dietary sodium modification on blood pressure in adults with systolic blood pressure less than 140 mmHg: a systematic review

Background Modifying dietary sodium intake is a cornerstone of diet advice for lowering blood pressure (BP) under the assumption that it is protective against cardiovascular disease. Previous meta-analyses of normotensive participants have not excluded all studies that recruited participants with systolic blood pressure (SBP) > 140 mmHg, which greatly hinders generalization to the wider normotensive population. Objectives The objective of this review was to identify the effectiveness of reducing or increasing sodium intake on BP in normotensive participants with SBP ≤ 140 mmHg.