Salt preference
Both the abrupt and gradual salt reduction groups experienced
a downward shift in salt preference (abrupt, p = .02; gradual,
p = .03) (Fig. 3). For most subjects this downward shift amounted
to 25% of the sodium concentration of the tomato juice (i.e. most
often a shift in preference from the sample containing 472 mg to
304 mg sodium, or from 640 mg to 472 mg between the initial
and final taste tests). A larger proportion of subjects in the abrupt
salt reduction group experienced a downward shift in salt
preference than did those in the gradual group.