Examining The Association Between Sodium And Potassium Intake, Their Ratio, And Blood Pressure Variability In Healthy Adults
Date
2022-05
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is a leading risk factor
that contributes to cardiovascular disease development. Nutritional factors, such as
sodium and potassium, have been shown to influence blood pressure. High dietary
sodium is linked to increasing blood pressure, whereas diets high in potassium have
been shown to decrease blood pressure. Additionally, blood pressure variability is also
an important predictor of cardiovascular disease yet remains understudied. The
purpose of this study was to explore the relation of sodium and potassium intake, and
their ratio, to blood pressure variability. I hypothesized that 24-hour urinary sodium
excretion and the urinary sodium to potassium ratio would be positively associated
with short term blood pressure variability, whereas 24-hour urinary potassium
excretion would be inversely associated with short term blood pressure variability in
normotensive adult men and women. Men and women between 18 to 45 years with a
blood pressure less than 140/90 mmHg, who were free of chronic disease were
enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Sodium and potassium intake were assessed by
24-hour urinary sodium and potassium excretion, respectively. During the same 24-
hour period, subjects wore an ambulatory blood pressure monitor. These data were
used to determine short term blood pressure variability. Blood pressure variability was
analyzed using the average real variability (ARV) index. Fifty-two subjects, 21 men
and 31 women, with an average age of 26.8 ± 5.7 years and a normotensive blood
pressure of 113 ± 12/70 ± 9 mmHg completed this study. 24-hour urinary sodium
excretion showed a significant inverse correlation with ARV of systolic blood pressure
(r= -0.274; p= 0.049). This correlation was no longer significant when controlling for
age and sex (r= -0.27; p= 0.058). Likewise, there was a significant inverse correlation between 24-hour urinary potassium excretion and ARV of diastolic blood pressure (r=
-0.34; p= 0.014) which remained significant when controlling for age and sex (r= -
0.319; p= 0.024). The urinary sodium to potassium ratio did not significantly correlate
with ARV of systolic or diastolic blood pressure. These findings suggest that in this
group of healthy adults who consume more potassium tend to have a lower blood
pressure variability and support previous recommendations to increase potassium
intake to decrease cardiovascular disease risk. However, further work needs to be
conducted to further elucidate the role of sodium and the sodium to potassium ratio.
Description
Keywords
Hypertension, Cardiovascular disease, Urinary sodium, Potassium