ABSTRACT
Popular science has emphasized the risks of high sodium intake and many studies have confirmed that salt intake is closely related to hypertension. The present mini-review summarizes experiments about salt taste sensitivity and its relationship with blood pressure (BP) and other variables of clinical and familial relevance. Children and adolescents from control parents (N = 72) or with at least one essential hypertensive (EHT) parent (N = 51) were investigated. Maternal questionnaires on eating habits and vomiting episodes were collected. Offspring, anthropometric, BP, and salt taste sensitivity values were recorded and blood samples analyzed. Most mothers declared that they added "little salt" when cooking. Salt taste sensitivity was inversely correlated with systolic BP (SBP) in control youngsters (r = -0.33; P = 0.015). In the EHT group, SBP values were similar to control and a lower salt taste sensitivity threshold. Obese offspring of EHT parents showed higher SBP and C-reactive protein values but no differences in renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activity. Salt taste sensitivity was correlated with SBP only in the non-obese EHT group (N = 41; r = 0.37; P = 0.02). Salt taste sensitivity was correlated with SBP in healthy, normotensive children and adolescents whose mothers reported significant vomiting during the first trimester (N = 18; r = -0.66; P < 0.005), but not in "non-vomiter offspring" (N = 54; r = -0.18; nonsignificant). There is evidence for a linkage between high blood pressure, salt intake and sensitivity, perinatal environment and obesity, with potential physiopathological implications in humans. This relationship has not been studied comprehensively using homogeneous methods and therefore more research is needed in this field.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Animals , Child , Female , Humans , Pregnancy , Rats , Blood Pressure/drug effects , Hypertension , Sodium Chloride, Dietary/adverse effects , Taste Threshold , Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology , Hypertension/etiology , Hypertension/genetics , Obesity/etiology , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Popular science has emphasized the risks of high sodium intake and many studies have confirmed that salt intake is closely related to hypertension. The present mini-review summarizes experiments about salt taste sensitivity and its relationship with blood pressure (BP) and other variables of clinical and familial relevance. Children and adolescents from control parents (N = 72) or with at least one essential hypertensive (EHT) parent (N = 51) were investigated. Maternal questionnaires on eating habits and vomiting episodes were collected. Offspring, anthropometric, BP, and salt taste sensitivity values were recorded and blood samples analyzed. Most mothers declared that they added "little salt" when cooking. Salt taste sensitivity was inversely correlated with systolic BP (SBP) in control youngsters (r = -0.33; P = 0.015). In the EHT group, SBP values were similar to control and a lower salt taste sensitivity threshold. Obese offspring of EHT parents showed higher SBP and C-reactive protein values but no differences in renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activity. Salt taste sensitivity was correlated with SBP only in the non-obese EHT group (N = 41; r = 0.37; P = 0.02). Salt taste sensitivity was correlated with SBP in healthy, normotensive children and adolescents whose mothers reported significant vomiting during the first trimester (N = 18; r = -0.66; P < 0.005), but not in "non-vomiter offspring" (N = 54; r = -0.18; nonsignificant). There is evidence for a linkage between high blood pressure, salt intake and sensitivity, perinatal environment and obesity, with potential physiopathological implications in humans. This relationship has not been studied comprehensively using homogeneous methods and therefore more research is needed in this field.
Subject(s)
Blood Pressure/drug effects , Hypertension , Sodium Chloride, Dietary/adverse effects , Taste Threshold , Adolescent , Animals , Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology , Child , Female , Humans , Hypertension/etiology , Hypertension/genetics , Obesity/etiology , Pregnancy , Rats , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Pregnancy-associated hypertension is a health problem in Mexico due to its high frequency of morbidity and mortality in mother and fetus as well. Research in this area has been restrained by limitations upon epidemiologic information, unknown etiology and the somewhat easy resolution provided when pregnancy is interrupted. We have reviewed contributions made in our country and up-to-date management concepts.
Subject(s)
Eclampsia , Pre-Eclampsia , Eclampsia/etiology , Eclampsia/prevention & control , Eclampsia/therapy , Female , Humans , Obstetrics/methods , Pre-Eclampsia/etiology , Pre-Eclampsia/prevention & control , Pre-Eclampsia/therapy , PregnancySubject(s)
Academies and Institutes , Academies and Institutes/history , Adolescent , Adult , Delivery of Health Care , Female , Health Policy , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Male , Medicine , Mexico , Middle Aged , Periodicals as Topic , Pregnancy , SpecializationABSTRACT
An epidemic neuropathy that broke out in Cuba in late 1991 has exhibited clinical manifestations similar to those of other polyneuropathies of nutritional origin. To investigate its possible association with diet, a study was conducted on the Isle of Youth in 1993, at the start of an outbreak there. Thirty-four subjects with cases and 65 controls were interviewed regarding their diets, measured anthropometrically, and evaluated. As a whole, the subjects with cases demonstrated greater weight loss before the onset of disease, lower body mass indexes (BMI), lower percentages of body fat, and more deficient diets than the control subjects. Analysis of individual variables found associations between occurrence of the disease and the following: weight loss, low BMI, a broad range of specific dietary deficiencies, a sugar intake exceeding 15% of total caloric intake, alcohol consumption, and smoking. Also, protective associations were found between absence of the disease and regular consumption of certain foods at or above specified levels. Multivariate analysis indicated that while smoking and alcohol consumption reinforced the effects of the dietary deficiencies, they did not account for occurrence of the disease by themselves. Overall, the results indicate that diets which are deficient in caloric energy, protein, fat, and the micronutrients included in the study, and which reflect an imbalance resulting from a relative excess of sugar, with consequent effects on body weight, are strongly associated with, and causally related to, the occurrence of epidemic neuropathy in Cuba.
Subject(s)
Deficiency Diseases/epidemiology , Disease Outbreaks , Polyneuropathies/epidemiology , Adult , Cuba/epidemiology , Deficiency Diseases/etiology , Deficiency Diseases/physiopathology , Energy Intake , Female , Humans , Incidence , Male , Middle Aged , Optic Neuritis/epidemiology , Optic Neuritis/etiology , Optic Neuritis/physiopathology , Polyneuropathies/etiology , Polyneuropathies/physiopathology , Protein Deficiency/complications , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
The epidemic of neuropathy that arose in Cuba in late 1991 has clinical manifestations similar to those of other neuropathies that are nutritional in origin. In an effort to identify its possible association with the diet, a case-control study was conducted at the beginning of the epidemic in Isla de la Juventud. Dietary intake was assessed through a semi-quantitative survey of consumption frequency obtained by direct personal interviews, and measurements were taken of the weight, height and skin fold thickness of 34 cases and 65 controls. As compared to controls, cases showed more pronounced weight loss prior to becoming ill, a lower body mass index (BMI), a lower percentage of body fat, and a poorer diet. According to odds ratios (OR) resulting from the separate analysis of each variable, factors associated with illness were weight loss, low BMI, low weight for height, a lower consumption of bread and rice, a less balanced diet, lack of milk intake, an intake of sugar greater than 15% of total energy consumed, consumption of alcohol, and smoking. The association was protective in the case of beans, tubercles, starchy roots, oil, and meat substitutes made from soy. Multifactorial analysis revealed higher OR values, adjusted for smoking and alcohol consumption, for intakes of less than 50% of the recommended daily allowance of protein, pyridoxine, thiamine, energy, vitamin E, niacin, folic acid, fat, riboflavin, and vitamin A. The results of this analysis show that tobacco and alcohol promote the effects of a deficient diet, but do not in and of themselves explain the association. A global analysis of these results leads to the conclusion that a diet poor in energy, calories, fats, and those micronutrients that have come under study, and that is unbalanced because of a relative excess of sugars, with its resulting effect on body weight, is strongly associated with and causally related to epidemic neuropathy.
Subject(s)
Diet/adverse effects , Nutrition Disorders/etiology , Optic Nerve Diseases/etiology , Peripheral Nervous System Diseases/etiology , Adult , Case-Control Studies , Cuba/epidemiology , Diet Surveys , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nutrition Disorders/epidemiology , Optic Nerve Diseases/epidemiology , Peripheral Nervous System Diseases/epidemiology , Random Allocation , Retrospective Studies , Risk FactorsSubject(s)
Dengue/complications , Nutritional Status , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Cuba , Dengue/immunology , Female , Humans , MaleSubject(s)
Insemination, Artificial/methods , Ethics, Medical , Female , Human Rights , Humans , Male , PregnancySubject(s)
Pregnancy , Prenatal Care , Adolescent , Adult , Birth Weight , Body Height , Body Weight , Family Characteristics , Female , Humans , Maternal Age , Mexico , Parity , Research , Risk , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
PIP: 113 multiparous fertile women ranging in age from 20 to 40 with regular menstrual cycles and who had not taken orals for 90 days prior to the trial were given continuous daily doses of 37.5 mcg of D-norgestrel for 4-14 cycles for a total of 1163 cycles of observation. A group of 20 who completed 14 cycles of treatment were given extensive physicals before and after the investigation including endometrial biopsies, vaginal hormone cytology, and blood and liver function tests. None of the patients became pregnant. Side effects were minimal and consisted mainly of headaches and nervousness. The most commonly experienced menstrual irregularities were amenorrhea and short cycles. In 2 cases curettage was done because of continuous bleeding. There was no incidence of thrombosis. There were no important changes in blood count, blood chemistry, urine, or in hepatic function. The biopsies indicated that the drug suppressed ovulation.^ieng