Some Effects of High and Low Sodium Intakes during Pregnancy in the Rat

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Adrenals and hearts from nonpregnant and pregnant rats fed three levels of dietary sodium were analyzed for sodium, potassium and water. The data correspond to and confirm data previously reported from this laboratory on plasma, muscle, bone and brain in these animals in that the combination of pregnancy and low sodium intake led to a significant reduction in the sodium concentration of maternal tissues and fluids. This suggests that there is an increased need for sodium during pregnancy. An increase in water content was associated with the decrease in sodium concentration of the adrenals as was true also for muscle. Water content of the heart, however, was not affected by the combination of low sodium and pregnancy; but cardiac potassium concentration was significantly decreased along with the decrease in sodium suggesting that the mechanisms for adjustment to reduced sodium concentration differ with different tissues.