Serum lipid changes on low salt diet. Effects of alpha 1-adrenergic blockade

An increase of some serum lipid fractions has been documented in normotensive healthy volunteers and patients with essential hypertension during acute drastic restriction of salt intake. To clarify the potential role of vasopressor systems, particularly the sympathetic system, in the lipid changes induced by salt restriction, we compared fasting serum lipids, glucose, insulin, and C-peptide levels in 16 normotensive healthy volunteers during 7 days of high (200 mmol/day) and 7 days of low (20 mmol/day) salt intake. The individuals were examined on either placebo or on the alpha 1-adrenergic blocker doxazosin (2 mg/day). The study was carried out using a single blind parallel group random order design with two arms of treatment. In the volunteers on placebo, total cholesterol (corrected for hemoconcentration) was significantly higher (P < .01) during low salt intake. The same was true for LDL-cholesterol, whereas HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides did not change with salt intake. The lipid changes, and, in parallel, the changes of hemoconcentration indicators, were more pronounced after 2 days than after 7 days of low salt intake. The rise of total and LDL-cholesterol on low salt was blunted after alpha 1-adrenergic blockade with doxazosin. Fasting glycemia was similar on low salt and high salt, respectively, but in placebo treated volunteers, C-peptide levels were significantly (P < .01) higher on low, rather than high, salt intake. alpha 1-Adrenergic blockade with doxazosin attenuated the rise of C-peptide levels on low salt. The results confirm previous findings that levels of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol change inversely with salt intake in normotensive healthy volunteers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)