Abstract P428: Evaluating a Personalized Low Sodium Diet Intervention for Blood Pressure Control in Hypertensive Patients: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Introduction: Although many clinical trials tested the effects of a low sodium diet (LSD) on high blood pressure (HBP) management, adherence to an LSD remains challenging. Considerable barriers to adherence to diet modification have been examined, and heterogenous responses to an LSD evolved. We tested the intra-individual response to an LSD to develop an individualized dietary intervention to optimize HBP management. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of a personalized low-sodium diet (P-LSD), enhanced by mobile health technology for real-time dietary assessment and at-home BP monitoring in hypertensive adults. Methods: A total of 24 hypertensive patients (60.4±10.7 years) were randomly assigned to either PLSD (n=16) or usual care control groups (n=8). Participants in P-LSD went through individual sessions via video conferencing to discuss LSD regimens, patients’ food choices, and BP tracks on mobile apps. The Control group followed their usual care for HBP management. All participants in both groups monitored diet and BP using mobile apps for 8 weeks. A 24-hour urinary sodium excretion for the estimation of dietary sodium intake, SBP, and DBP were measured at the baseline and at 8 weeks. The preliminary effects of P-LSD were tested by paired t-test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results: Dietary sodium intake ( t = 3.82), SBP ( t = 3.95), and DBP ( t = 3.54) were significantly declined overtime in the P-LSD group (Ps<0.01) but not in control group (Ps>0.05). There were significant differences between the control and intervention groups in changes of dietary sodium intake (F=18.6, p<0.001) and SBP over time (F=4.84, p<0.05) before and after the intervention. No statistically significant difference was revealed in DBP between the two groups before the intervention (p=0.20). Conclusion: The PLSD appears to be effective on the adherence to an LSD and BP control in hypertensive patients. Future studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to examine the long-term effects of PLSD on outcomes.