Usefulness of the Reborn Soup for the Reduction of Salt Intake.

Aims: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of reborn soup on the perceptions of saltiness and palatability. Methods: Subjects comprised 103 staff working at Kokura Daiichi Hospital (22 males, 81 females, and mean age: 35 ± 12 years old). They tested soups (commercially available soup with 0.9% NaCl solutions (A), commercially available soup with 0.6% NaCl solutions (B), and reborn soup diluted to 0.6% NaCl solutions (C)). Evaluations of saltiness and palatability for each solution were conducted using a visual analog scale in a double-blinded randomized manner. We estimated 24-hour salt excretion using spot urine samples to estimate salt intake and also assessed blood pressure, the awareness of salt intake using a self-description questionnaire score, and other confounding factors including lifestyle factors. Results: In all subjects, the average estimated salt intake was 9.0 ± 2.0 g/day, and the rates at which subjects met the established salt intake targets were 15.1% in 73 females without hypertension (<6.5 g/day), 23.5% in 17 males without hypertension (<7.5 g/day), and 0.0% in 13 subjects with hypertension (<6.0 g/day). In both saltiness and palatability, B scored significantly lower than A, but C scored significantly higher than B. Salt intake levels were categorized into tertiles (Q1, lowest; Q3, highest). C scored significantly higher for palatability in the Q1 group than in the Q3 group. Conclusions: Most participants exceeded the established targets of salt intake. The high-salt-intake group might be able to feel less palatable. Our results indicate that reborn soup may be effective in reducing salt intake without loss of palatability.