ABC | Volume 113, Nº3, September 2019

Original Article Villela et al. Salt preference and hypertension Arq Bras Cardiol. 2019; 113(3):392-399 0 1 2 3 100 80 60 40 20 0 Volunteers, % Hypertensive older subjects Hypertensive young subjects Figure 3 – Distribution of the preference for bread samples among hypertensive volunteers in the second experiment, with the addition of oregano. 0: did not perceive a difference; 1: preferred the sample with 1.5% salt; 2: preferred the sample with 2.0% salt; 3: preferred the sample with 2.7% salt. 0 1 2 3 100 80 60 40 20 0 Volunteers, % Normotensive older subjects Normotensive young subjects Figure 4 – Distribution of the preference for bread samples among normotensive volunteers in the second experiment, with the addition of oregano.0: did not perceive a difference; 1: preferred the sample with 1.5% salt; 2: preferred the sample with 2.0% salt; 3: preferred the sample with 2.7% salt. Regarding age, there were no differences in preference for salt samples and salt intake. The same result was reported by Khadeja & Leshen, 26 who compared salt appetite in the elderly (65-85) and in middle-aged (45-58) people to determine possible age-related changes. To estimate salt appetite, the participants were tested for preferred amounts of salt in the soup, followed by a test with oral sprays of NaCl. Between the taste tests, the participants were interviewed to complete a dietary, seasoning and preference questionnaire. The authors found no clear difference in salt preference in elderly participants compared to middle-aged participants. Regarding gender, men usually prefer more salt than women. 27 It is well established that salt intake is lower in women as a function of their lower absolute caloric intake and that women add less salt to soups than men. 27 The present study also showed a higher salt consumption among men. The variables that significantly influenced the preference for samples of saltier breads were the presence of hypertension, male gender and alcohol consumption. These were maintained even in the presence of oregano, except for subjects with higher alcohol consumption, for which the preference for saltier samples ceased to exist when oregano was added to bread. 396