The purpose of this study was to assess the amount of
sodium in the diet of normal adults. The population consisted
of 86 adults, 49 females and 37 males, who were
participants in the Family Heart Study (FHS). Of this
population 26 were studied during the baseline assessment
period and were just entering the program. The remaining
60 people were studied after participating in the FHS for
one year.
Three methods were used to assess sodium intake: a
salt questionnaire, a salt preference test and the sodium
content of a 24-hour urine collection. The salt questionnaire
consisted of questions to assess the frequency of
intake of high sodium foods and the use of salt at the table
and in cooking. The salt preference test was done using a
baked potato salted to taste by the participants. The
salt questionnaire and salt preference test were compared to
the amount of sodium in a 24-hour urine collection. There
was no relationship among any of these measures of salt
intake.
The urinary analysis for sodium indicated that the
participants in this study had a moderately high sodium
intake (143 mEq/day), similar to other studies in the U.S.
Males excreted more sodium than females. The group assessed
at baseline and the group assessed after one year in the
study both excreted the same amount of sodium. The year
one group had switched to Lite salt and reduced their
use of salt during cooking; however, they used salty foods
with the same frequency as the baseline group. The urinalysis
demonstrates that the changes made by the year one
group were not significant in reducing their salt intake.
The amount of sodium excreted showed no relationship
to blood pressure. This finding is similar to other studies
in the U.S. because most people consume over 70 mEq
sodium/day, which is above the proposed threshold to prevent
hypertension. The genetic variability in the U.S. population
obscures any relationship of sodium intake to blood
pressure.
Some of the major problems in assessing sodium intake
are the variability from day to day and the ubiquity of
sodium in our foods. It was concluded that urinary
assessment of sodium was the best method available at this
time, although multiple collections are necessary to
compensate for the variability of sodium intake. / Graduation date: 1981
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/27476 |
| Date | 30 July 1980 |
| Creators | Henry, Holly Jean |
| Contributors | Miller, Lorraine T. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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