DIETARY TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION. III. THE EFFECT OF PROTEIN ON APPETITE AND WEIGHT

Abstract

The reduction of blood pressure following restriction of dietary Na was found to be independent of 10-fold variations in the ration of dietary protein, and unaffected by prior or subsequent reduction of body wt. The data indicate that restriction of dietary Na may be expected to reduce the systolic and diastolic blood pressures by 12 [plus or minus] 7.4%. The ration of protein, under the conditions of this study determined the appetite and the body wt. of each patient. It might seem odd that patients lost wt. when changed from one adequate diet to another, but the result can be explained on the hypothesis that the reduction of body mass is an adaptation to the reduction of dietary protein. The lack of hunger or weakness during the loss of wt. indicated that the diet might be of some use in the treatment of obesity.