SynthesisAmerican journal of hypertension2011
Reduced dietary salt for the prevention of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (Cochrane review).
Synthesis in American journal of hypertension, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 100 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
100 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 310 citations in OpenAlex.
- Interventions for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: umbrella review of systematic reviews.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Pooled it
- The effect of sodium restriction on iodine prophylaxis: a review.Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2022Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Changes in Diet Composition on Reducing the Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease.Current cardiology reports · 2019Pooled it
- Association of sodium intake and major cardiovascular outcomes: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2018Pooled it
- Cost-effectiveness of salt reduction to prevent hypertension and CVD: a systematic review.Public health nutrition · 2017Pooled it
- The Science of Salt: A Systematic Review of Quality Clinical Salt Outcome Studies June 2014 to May 2015.Journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.) · 2016Pooled it
- The science of salt: a systematic review of clinical salt studies 2013 to 2014.Journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.) · 2015Pooled it
- Effect of longer-term modest salt reduction on blood pressure.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2013Pooled it
- Trial
- Effects of a Novel Contextual Just-In-Time Mobile App Intervention (LowSalt4Life) on Sodium Intake in Adults With Hypertension: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2020Trial
- Impact of light salt substitution for regular salt on blood pressure of hypertensive patients.Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia · 2015Trial
- Cardiovascular effects of dietary salt intake in aged healthy cats: a 2-year prospective randomized, blinded, and controlled study.PloS one · 2014Trial
- Trial
- Uptake of Dietary Sodium Restriction by Overweight and Obese Patients After Cardiac Revascularization.Rehabilitation nursing : the official journal of the Association of Rehabilitation NursesTrial
- Gut Microbiota as a Mediator of Dietary Salt Effects on Blood Pressure.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- A just-in-time adaptive mobile application intervention to reduce sodium intake and blood pressure in patients with hypertension: Rationale and design of the LowSalt4Life 2 trial.American heart journal · 2026Article
- Excess dietary potassium raises blood pressure in male mice by an aldosterone-dependent increase in ENaC.Communications biology · 2025Article
- Central nervous system mechanisms of salt-sensitive hypertension.Physiological reviews · 2025Review
- The status of sodium intake and excretion and the primary dietary sources of sodium in Iranian adults, a comprehensive pilot study.Cardiovascular endocrinology & metabolism · 2025Article
- Salt Contents in Fermented Dairy Products: A Strategic Blueprint for Healthier Intake.Food science & nutrition · 2025Article
40 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAlthough meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of salt reduction report a reduction in the level of blood pressure (BP), the effect of reduced dietary salt on cardiovascular disease (CVD) events remains unclear.
methodsWe searched for RCTs with follow-up of at least 6 months that compared dietary salt reduction (restricted salt dietary intervention or advice to reduce salt intake) to control/no intervention in adults, and reported mortality or CVD morbidity data. Outcomes were pooled at end of trial or longest follow-up point.
resultsSeven studies were identified: three in normotensives, two in hypertensives, one in a mixed population of normo- and hypertensives and one in heart failure. Salt reduction was associated with reductions in urinary salt excretion of between 27 and 39 mmol/24 h and reductions in systolic BP between 1 and 4 mm Hg. Relative risks (RRs) for all-cause mortality in normotensives (longest follow-up-RR: 0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.58-1.40, 79 deaths) and hypertensives (longest follow-up RR 0.96, 0.83-1.11, 565 deaths) showed no strong evidence of any effect of salt reduction CVD morbidity in people with normal BP (longest follow-up: RR 0.71, 0.42-1.20, 200 events) and raised BP at baseline (end of trial: RR 0.84, 0.57-1.23, 93 events) also showed no strong evidence of benefit. Salt restriction increased the risk of all-cause mortality in those with heart failure (end of trial RR 2.59, 1.04-6.44, 21 deaths).We found no information on participant's health-related quality of life.
conclusionsDespite collating more event data than previous systematic reviews of RCTs (665 deaths in some 6,250 participants) there is still insufficient power to exclude clinically important effects of reduced dietary salt on mortality or CVD morbidity. Our estimates of benefits from dietary salt restriction are consistent with the predicted small effects on clinical events attributable to the small BP reduction achieved.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.