The effects of low and high NaCl diets on plasma glucose and insulin responses to glucose ingestion were investigated in 15 patients with essential hypertension. Oral glucose (75 g) tolerance tests were carried out while patients were taking diets with low (2 g/day) and high (20 g/day) NaCl content. Fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels were both significantly lower during ingestion of the high NaCl diet (p less than 0.05). After glucose ingestion, the incremental areas under the two hour plasma glucose and insulin curves were significantly smaller during ingestion of the high NaCl diet (glucose p less than 0.005 and insulin p less than 0.025). These findings that low NaCl diets increase the glycemic response to glucose loads suggest that use of NaCl restriction for the treatment of essential hypertension may not always be desirable.