Impact of an Innovative Equipment to Monitor and Control Salt Usage during Cooking at Home on Salt Intake and Blood Pressure-Randomized Controlled Trial iMC SALT

(1) Background: Excessive salt consumption is associated with an increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, and it is essential to reduce it to the level recommended by the World Health Organization (<5 g/day). The main objective of this study is to verify the impact of an intervention, which used the Salt Control H equipment to reducing salt consumption; (2) Methods: The study was an 8-week randomized control trial with 114 workers from a public university. The intervention group (n = 57) used the equipment to monitor and control the use of salt during cooking (Salt Control H) at home for 8 weeks. The primary outcome was 24 h urinary sodium excretion as a proxy of salt intake. Secondary outcomes included changes in 24 h urinary potassium excretion, sodium to potassium ratio (Na:K), and blood pressure. (3) Results: There was a decrease in sodium intake after the intervention but with no statistical significance. When analyzing the results by sex and hypertension status, there was a reduction in sodium (-1009 (-1876 to -142), p = 0.025) and in Na:K ratio (-0.9 (-1.5 to -0.3), p = 0.007) in hypertensive men in the intervention group. (4) Conclusions: Interventions with dosage equipment can be valid approaches in individual salt reduction strategies, especially in hypertensive men.

Automated summary

The study aimed to verify the impact of using the Salt Control H equipment to reduce salt consumption. The results showed that in hypertensive men, the intervention led to a decrease in sodium intake and Na:K ratio.