• Mihai Hogas, Cristian Statescu, Manuela Padurariu, Alin Ciobica, Stefana Catalina Bilha, Anca Haisan, Daniel Timofte, and Simona Hogas.
• Physiology Department, "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Universitatii 16, 700115 Iasi, Romania.
• Medicina (Kaunas). 2022 Aug 29; 58 (9).

AbstractDietary salt intake is a long-debated issue. Increased sodium intake is associated with high blood pressure, leading to salt-sensitive hypertension. Excessive salt intake leads to arterial stiffness in susceptible individuals via impaired nitric oxide action and increased endothelin-1 expression, overactivity of the renal sympathetic nervous system and also via aldosterone-independent activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor. Salt restriction in such individuals reduces blood pressure (BP) values. The optimal level of salt restriction that leads to improved cardiovascular outcomes is still under debate. Current BP and dietary guidelines recommend low sodium intake for the general population. However, a specific category of patients does not develop arterial hypertension in response to sodium loading. In addition, recent research demonstrates the deleterious effects of aggressive sodium restriction, even in heart failure patients. This mini review discusses current literature data regarding the advantages and disadvantages of salt restriction and how it impacts the overall health status.

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