title: Age dependency of the effects of dietary sodium restriction on blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were placed on sodium restricted diets (9 and 17 mumol/g) or on a regular sodium diet (101 mumol/g) at 2, 7 and 10 weeks of age, and continued until 16 weeks of age. Sodium restriction initiated at 2 weeks prevented (9 mumol/g) or attenuated (17 mumol/g) the development of hypertension, and severely retarded growth. When sodium restriction was started at 7 weeks, these effects were not so pronounced. Starting at 10 weeks, sodium restriction no longer affected blood pressure, although growth rate was still reduced. These results indicate that there is a period early in life in SHR during which hypertension development critically depends on a minimum amount of sodium intake.
authors.affiliation: Hypertension Unit, Toronto Western Hospital, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Wilczynski
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Leenen
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D004039:Diet, Sodium-Restricted; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY