Dietary Effects of Introducing Salt-Reduced Bread with and without Dietary Counselling-A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Successful strategies for policy makers and the food industry are required to reduce population salt intake. A 4-month cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate whether the provision of salt-reduced bread with or without dietary counselling affected the dietary intake of selected food groups, energy, macronutrients, sodium, and potassium. Eighty-nine families (n = 309) consisting of minimum one parent and one child were assigned to receive bread gradually reduced in salt content alone (Intervention A), combined with dietary counselling (Intervention B), or bread with regular salt content (control). Food intake was recorded for seven consecutive days at baseline and follow-up. Salt intake was reduced in both Intervention A (-1.0 g salt/10 MJ, p = 0.027) and Intervention B (-1.0 g salt/10 MJ, p = 0.026) compared to the control. Consumption of bread and both total and salt-rich bread fillings remained similar between groups, while 'cheese and cheese products' were reduced in Intervention A (-38%, p = 0.011). Energy intake and macronutrient distribution were not affected in Intervention A, but Intervention B resulted in a higher energy intake (512 kJ, p = 0.019) and a lower energy % (E%) from saturated fat (-1.0 E%, p = 0.031) compared to the control. In conclusion, provision of salt-reduced bread both with and without dietary counselling successfully reduced dietary salt intake without adversely affecting the dietary nutritional quality.

Automated summary

This study successfully reduced salt intake by providing salt-reduced bread with or without dietary counseling, without adversely affecting the nutritional quality of the diet.