Randomized Pilot Study on the Effects of Sarcocornia as a Salt Substitute in Arterial Blood Pressure and Vascular Function in Healthy Young Adults

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that excessive salt intake is strongly associated with high blood pressure (HT), vascular dysfunction, and the overall risk of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate Sarcocornia effectiveness as a salt substitute, addressing its effect on cardiovascular function in healthy young individuals. Thirty healthy participants, aged 18 to 26 years, were randomized into two groups: the control group (CG) and the intervention group (IG). The IG used Sarcocornia powder as a salt substitute for cooking, and the CG used regular salt, during a period of 1 month. A baseline evaluation was performed before the participants started the intervention phase, and was repeated after a 30-day intervention period. Each evaluation included blood pressure (BP) measurement, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), and carotid pulse wave analysis (PWA), and blood samples were also collected for analysis. Sodium excretion was measured at baseline and after intervention through spot urine collection and analysis, a method suitable for this population but with known limitations. Baseline parameters were similar between groups and were within the normal range. Sodium excretion remained unchanged in the two evaluations in the CG, but significantly decreased after intervention in the IG. The reduction in sodium excretion in the IG was followed by a significant reduction in brachial and aortic systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and also in PWV. No significant changes were observed in the CG in terms of cardiovascular parameters. This preliminary study conveys positive results in favor of Sarcocornia as a dietary substitute for regular salt, providing added evidence of the negative cardiovascular effects of high salt intake in young and healthy adults.

Assessing Sarcocornia as a Salt Substitute: Effects on Lipid Profile and Gelatinase Activity

“…After carrying out the characterization of vascular physiology according to Pereira et al [3], we confirmed a significant decrease in BP values and improvement in PWV in the IG. Concerning the amount of sodium excreted in 24 h, as described by Pereira et al [3], the CG presented an average value of 8.4 ± 1.8 g/day before the intervention and 8.5 ± 2.4 g/day after the intervention, while the IG presented an average value of sodium excretion of 8.9 ± 2.1 g/day before the intervention, and after the consumption of S. perennis, the medium value became 7.2 ± 1.2 g/day, denoting a reduction in sodium excretion within the IG.…”

“…The study sample included 30 participants, all young people aged over 18 years old (medium de 20.4 ± 1.2), with 23.3% being male and 76.7% female (Table 1) [3]. This research project was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra (7/2019, approved on 18 September 2019) and conducted in accordance with all the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki [3]. The participants were randomly divided into two groups equally.…”

“…The participants were randomly divided into two groups equally. The control group (CG), with 15 participants (n = 15), maintained the consumption of added salt in their diet, and those in the intervention group (IG), also with 15 participants (n = 15), were instructed to replace their salt intake with S. perennis powder, previously studied, and use it for 30 days in the desired amount in order to obtain a salty flavor, as mentioned by Pereira et al [3]. The inclusion criteria encompassed individuals aged over 18 years without a diagnosis of hypertension or associated comorbidities.…”

“…Vascular physiology of the population was characterized before and after the intervention via assessments of blood pressure and pulse wave velocity (PWV) [3]. Sodium excretion was quantified using spot urine samples stored at −70 • C. The Tanaka method was performed as described by Iida et al [35], which, through the quantification of sodium and creatinine levels, allowed us to estimate saline excretion in 24 h [3].…”

“…Gelatinase-type MMPs like MMP-2 and MMP-9 display physiological functions such as remodeling the extracellular matrix (ECM), but in pathological situations, they end up degrading gelatin, elastin, and type IV collagen in excess, as referenced in several studies [3,[27][28][29]31,33].…”