Low Sodium and High Potassium Help Heart Health

by | Mar 10, 2009 | 2009, Cardiovascular Health, Potassium

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS.

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) affects almost 81 million Americans, who have one or more of the following: high blood pressure (1) (73 million), heart disease (16 million), stroke (6 million), heart failure (5 million). CVD claimed 869,724 lives in 2004, accounting for 36.3% of all deaths or one of every 2.8 deaths (2). Now a new study (3) has found that potassium, found previously to play a role in blood pressure (4), may help maintain heart health when in proper ratio to sodium in the body.

In the study, researchers looked at data on over 2,200 patients from two different studies on blood pressure. The studies were called “Trials on Hypertension Prevention” (TOHP I and TOHP II), which lasted for 1 ½ and 3 years, respectively. Specifically, they looked at records of urine sample readings of sodium and potassium levels.

The researchers found that those with the highest levels of sodium (178 – 194 mmol every 24 hours) in their urine (and hence having the highest sodium intake) had a 25% increased risk of CVD compared to those with the lowest urine levels (127 – 143 mmol / 24 hours) of sodium. For potassium, those with the highest urine levels (68 – 73mmol / 24 hours) had a 43% reduced risk of CVD compared to those with the lowest urine levels (48 – 54 mmol / 24 hours).

Unfortunately, the researchers did not make any recommendations on sodium or potassium intake to elicit these optimal urine levels that helped decrease CVD risk. Nevertheless, they said “we found a suggested positive relationship of urinary sodium excretion and a suggested inverse relationship of urinary potassium excretion with risk of CVD.”

Source: Cook, Nancy R., et al. “Joint effects of sodium and potassium intake on subsequent cardiovascular disease: the Trials of Hypertension Prevention follow-up study.” Archives of internal medicine 169.1 (2009): 32-40.

©2009 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.

Posted March 10, 2009.

References:

  1. David Conen D.  Blood pressure progression: prospective cohort study with high normal blood pressure or blood Risk of cardiovascular events among women.  BMJ published online 19 Aug 2007; doi:10.1136/bmj.39269.672188.AE.
  2. “Cardiovascular Disease Statistics” posted on the American Heart Association website.
  3. Cook NR. Joint Effects of Sodium and Potassium Intake on Subsequent Cardiovascular Disease: The Trials of Hypertension Prevention Follow-up Study.  Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(1):32-40.
  4. Shafi T. Changes in Serum Potassium Mediate Thiazide-Induced Diabetes. Hypertension 2008 ;52:1022-1029.