For the purpose of short term clinical trials previous studies have made use of metabolic kitchens to provide severely restricted sodium diets. We evaluated the feasibility of administering a 5-day severely restricted (22 mmol) sodium diet on an outpatient basis with counselling support, outside a metabolic unit. In 13 highly-motivated volunteers, 24-h urinary sodium excretion fell from 128·5 ± 11·9 on a normal diet to 19·2 ± 2·88 mmol per day and plasma sodium dropped from 140 ± 0·41 to 137 ± 0·78 mmol/L, showing that such an approach is effective.
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