Interaction of sodium sensitivity and stress in young adults

Abstract

The interaction of sodium sensitivity and stress-induced cardiovascular reactivity was studied in white and black young adults aged 18–23 years. The cardiovascular response to difficult mental arithmetic was measured before and after 14 days of oral sodium loading (10 g NaCl/day added to the usual diet). A sodium-sensitive blood pressure response occurred in 18.4% of whites and 37.3% of blacks. A significant correlation between blood pressure change and sodium excretion occurred in the sodium-sensitive group (r=-0.28, p<0.01). High sodium intake did not augment blood pressure or heart rate response to the β-adrenergk-mediated stimulus of mental arithmetic in the population, which was grouped by blood pressure, race, or sodium sensitivity. © 1991 American Heart Association, Inc.