"Minimal-Advice" on Salt Intake: Results of a Multicentre Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial on Hypertensive Patients

A strong and well-known association exists between salt consumption, potassium intake, and cardiovascular diseases. MINISAL-SIIA results showed high salt and low potassium consumption in Italian hypertensive patients. In addition, a recent Italian survey showed that the degree of knowledge and behaviour about salt was directly interrelated, suggesting a key role of the educational approach.

The present multicentre randomised controlled trial study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a short-time dietary educational intervention by a physician, only during the first visit, on sodium and potassium intake in hypertensive patients.

Two-hundred-thirty hypertensive subjects participating in the MINISAL-SIIA study were enrolled for this study. After the randomisation, the participants were stratified into the educational intervention (EI) group (n = 109) and control group (C) (n = 121). Anthropometric indexes and blood pressure (BP) measurements were taken in the single-centre, and 24-hour urinary sodium (UrNa) and potassium (UrK) excretion were centrally measured.

After 3 months, there was a reduction in BP, UrNa, and body weight, and an increase in UrK in EI. By contrast, a lower decrease in BP was found in the C group, and a slight rise in UrNa and no substantial change in UrK were revealed. BP changes were positively and significantly associated with changes in UrNa only in EI.

The main results of this trial indicate that a single brief educational intervention by a physician can lead to a reduction in salt intake and BP, and increased potassium consumption in hypertensive patients, without adverse effects.

ClinicalTrial.gov registration number: NCT06651437.