An evolutionary perspective on salt, hypertension, and human genetic variability.

Abstract excerpt

Natural selection for electrolyte conservation has likely been the norm throughout human evolutionary history. However, the current patterns of excessive dietary salt intake create the potential for salt overload. Under these conditions, hypertension may be considered an expected pathological response to an evolutionarily new constraint. The transatlantic Middle Passage may have created a genetic bottleneck for...

Topics

• Biological Evolution
• Diet
• Genetic Predisposition to Disease
• Genetic Variation
• Humans
• Hypertension
• Models, Genetic
• Selection, Genetic
• Sodium Chloride