Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health led a large-scale study of over 10,000 adults to determine the link between consumption of sodium and potassium with cardiovascular risk.
The research combined high-quality data of individuals from six cohort studies where sodium is measured by multiple 24-hour urine samples. The team believes their findings could help clarify how sodium and potassium could affect the risks of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
Sodium and Potassium Intake Affects CVD Risks
One of the components of table salt is sodium, which is also naturally found in many foods. High amounts of sodium are added to food products, especially processed and packaged ones.
The US Food and Drug Administration has recently released guidance that aims to encourage the food industry in the country to reduce sodium in their ingredients for the next two years because it is linked to increased blood pressure and other health conditions.
On the other hand, potassium has an opposite effect on the body and the risk of developing CVD. According to News Medical Life Sciences, it can help relax blood vessels and increase excretion of sodium while also decreasing blood pressure. Some potassium-rich foods include fruits, leafy and starchy vegetables, beans, dairy products, and nuts.
Scientists have yet to discover the exact relationship between sodium consumption and CVD risk. A few cohort studies have shown that an increase in sodium intake also increases blood pressure, which means CVD risk also increases. The team also pointed out that some cohort studies suggest that lower sodium consumption is linked to increased risk of CVD.
But those studies used measures, such as spot urine or single 24-hour samples, that are prone to measurement errors and therefore deemed unreliable for estimating individual usual sodium intake.
Too Much Sodium and Too Low Potassium Increase CVD Risk
In the study, titled "24-Hour Urinary Sodium and Potassium Excretion and Cardiovascular Risk" published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers conducted a pooled analysis of six cohort studies and analyzed individual sodium and potassium excretion data as well as the incidence of CVD, particularly strokes and coronary heart disease.
The institution's press release reported that the data came from multiple 24-hour urine samples, which is the most reliable method for examining sodium intake, taken from 10,000 healthy adults with a follow-up for an average of nine years. They were able to record 571 cardiovascular events from the six cohort studies.
The team determined that a higher sodium intake of approximately 2,000 to 6,000 mg every day was significantly associated with higher cardiovascular risk. That means for every 1,000 mg sodium excretion, there is a 185 increased risk of CVD. More so, every 1,000 mg of potassium excretion per day decreases risk by 18%. In other words, higher sodium intake is associated with increased cardiovascular risk.
Study senior author Frank Hu said that the study highlights the importance of using a reliable biomarker in measuring usual sodium intake to evaluate its relationship with cardiovascular risk. More so, it supports public health strategies in regulating and promoting healthy diets to reduce sodium and increase potassium intake.
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