Salt taste and hypertension: a critical review of the literature.

Studies of the salt taste sensitivity, responsiveness, preference, and appetite of normotensive and hypertensive individuals have yielded therapeutic, diagnostic, predictive, and mechanistic findings related to hypertension. Following a brief description of the nature of these taste parameters, findings pertaining to the association between each and hypertension are critically reviewed. Potential clinical implications of this information, as well as the need to exercise caution in the translation of taste data into dietary practice are also discussed.