Self-monitoring at home with a simple device using a urine sample may help with salt intake and systolic blood pressure reductions, according to a study published in Hypertension Research.
Toshihiko Takada, PhD, of the Department of General Medicine at Fukushima Medical University in Japan, and associates conducted a single blinded, cluster randomized controlled trial to understand the efficacy of a new, self-monitoring device on regulating salt consumption and systolic blood pressure reduction.
The main outcome was the variation in daily salt consumption, tabulated by spot urine, 4 weeks post-intervention in case and control groups. The secondary outcome was the variation in blood pressure in both groups in the 4 weeks post-intervention.
Continue Reading
Overall, 105 families (158 individuals) were included and required to attend lectures about reducing salt intake. Participants were randomized into either a control group or an intervention group: only the intervention group self-monitored salt intake with the device.
At the start of the study, average salt intakes were 9.04 g/day in the control group and 9.37 g/day in the intervention group. After 4 weeks, average salt intakes were 8.97 g/day in the control group and 8.60 g/day in the intervention group, with an average difference of -0.50 g/day between the two groups. The average difference in SBP was -4.4 mm Hg.
“This randomized controlled trial suggested the effectiveness of a self-monitoring device in significantly reducing daily salt intake and SBP,” the authors concluded. “Measuring estimated daily sugar intake using the device at home could be a useful guide for salt reduction.”
