The Study
The Correlation Between Urinary Sodium Excretion and Blood Pressure in Hospitalized Adult Patients with Hypertension
This study found that people with higher salt in their urine tended to have higher blood pressure, but it didn’t change anyone’s salt intake to see if that made a difference. So we know salt and blood pressure are linked, but we don’t know if cutting salt will lower blood pressure.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at people in China with high blood pressure and found that those who pee out more salt also have higher blood pressure.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 542 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — 11.5g salt/day is very high and linked to worse blood pressure control, especially at night when it should drop.
- 2People ate about 11.5 grams of salt per day (over twice the WHO recommendation).
- 3Higher salt in urine = higher blood pressure numbers.
- 4Morning urine salt levels matched total daily salt well.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Advances in Therapy
Year
2021
Authors
Li-qin Duan, Qiongjie Li, Li Zhao, Jinfeng Zhao, Minqiang Guo, Hong-tao Shi, Lin Zhang, Q. Han
Related Content
Claims (6)
In hospitalized adults in Shanxi Province with high blood pressure, people who excrete more salt in their urine tend to have higher blood pressure numbers, even when you account for their age, weight, gender, and whether they smoke.
In hospitalized adults with high blood pressure in Shanxi, people who have more salt in their morning urine tend to have higher blood pressure numbers, even when you account for their age, weight, gender, or whether they smoke.
In hospitals in Shanxi, adults with high blood pressure who excrete more salt in their urine tend to have blood pressure that doesn’t drop enough at night, which might be bad for their heart.
People in Shanxi Province who are hospitalized with high blood pressure are peeing out about 11.5 grams of salt every day — that’s roughly two teaspoons of table salt.
If you're a hospitalized adult with high blood pressure in Shanxi, the amount of salt in your morning pee is a good guess for how much salt you passed all day — so doctors might just need your morning sample instead of collecting all day's urine.
People who pee out more salt tend to have higher blood pressure, and this pattern shows up in lots of different groups of people around the world.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.