CIHR funds sodium research
A Canadian Institutes for Health Research study aims to identify people who are “salt sensitive” In a news release the federally funed body states: Some people are intolerant to milk, others wheat. But it also appears that up to half of Canadians are also “salt sensitive”, and this puts them at a much higher risk for high blood pressure. Dr. Frans Leenen at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute is examining the genetic make-up and blood pressure response to salt of individuals with high blood pressure in eastern Ottawa and western Quebec to identify which individuals are either salt sensitive or salt resistant. The research could lead to the development of a simple blood test to identify people at risk, or a way to turn off the salt-sensitive gene to neutralize its effect.