Effect of plant-based functional foods for the protection against salt induced endothelial dysfunction

This study aimed to compare the efficacy of four formulations of plant-based functional foods on the protection against salt-induced endothelial dysfunction.A randomized crossover design was employed.Ten healthy subjects were recruited,and on five separate occasions they received,in random sequence one of the following 5 treatments:250 mL of plain water(control)alone,and with beetroot powder,celery powder,green tea extract or beetroot powder with green tea extract prior to consuming 150 mL of high-salt chicken broth.Flow-mediated dilation(FMD),blood pressure(BP),heart rate(HR)and pulse-wave velocity(PWV)were measured at fasting and at 30,60,90 and 120 min postprandial.Comparing with control,beetroot supplementation led to a significantly increased HR at 30,60 and 90 min postprandially(P=0.025,0.004,<0.001,respectively).No significant difference was observed for FMD,BP and PWV between control and any of the treatments.Salt reduction may still be the most effective strategy to improve vascular health.

Metabolomics signature of blood pressure salt sensitivity and its link to cardiovascular disease:A dietary salt-intervention trial

Individuals with a high degree of salt sensitivity(SS)have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease(CVD),but whether SS fosters CVD by influencing metabolomics homeostasis remains unclear.This study aimed to reveal the role of the SS-related metabolomics signature in the development of CVDs,based on the MetaSalt study,which was a dietary salt-intervention trial conducted at four centers in China in 2019.A total of 528 participants were recruited and underwent 3 days of baseline observations,a 10-day low-salt intervention,and a 10-day highsalt intervention.Plasma untargeted metabolomics,lipidomics,and BP measurements were scheduled at each stage.Participants were grouped into extreme SS,moderate SS,and salt-resistant(SR)individuals according to their BP responses to salt.Linear mixed models were used to identify SS-related metabolites and determine the relationship between the SS-related metabolomics signature and arterial stiffness.Mendelian randomization(MR)analyses were applied to establish the causal pathways among the SS-related metabolites,BP,and CVDs.Among the 713 metabolites,467 were significantly changed after the high-salt intervention.Among them,the changes in 30 metabolites from the low-salt to the high-salt intervention differed among the SS groups.Of the remaining nonsalt-related metabolites,the baseline levels of 11 metabolites were related to SS.These 41 metabolites explained 23%of the variance in SS.Moreover,SS and its metabolomics signature were positively correlated with arterial stiffness.MR analyses demonstrated that the SS-related metabolites may affect CVD risk by altering BP,indicating that the increase in BP was the consequence of the changes in SS-related metabolites rather than the cause.Our study revealed that the metabolomics signature of SS individuals differs from that of SR individuals and that the changes in SS-related metabolites may increase arterial stiffness and foster CVDs.This study provides insight into understanding the biology and targets of SS and its role in CVDs.