WHAT: Two nutrients, sodium and potassium, may work together to affect blood pressure and heart disease risk, according to a new analysis from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health. When the ratio of sodium to potassium is too high, risk for cardiovascular disease was increased.
Among 2,974 participants in a long-term observational study of the effect of lifestyle changes on blood pressure, there was a 24 percent increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease per unit of increase in the ratio of sodium to potassium. This finding suggests that lowering sodium intake while increasing potassium consumption may reduce cardiovascular disease, according to the researchers.
Joint Effects of Sodium and Potassium Intake on Subsequent Cardiovascular Disease: The Trials of Hypertension Prevention (TOHP) Follow-up Study is published in the January 12, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Participants in the TOHP studies had high normal blood pressure levels, or prehypertension, defined as 120-139/80-89mmHg.
Nearly one in three adult Americans has high blood pressure, defined as 140/90 mmHg or higher and about 37 percent have pre-hypertension. Previously, TOHP researchers have shown that long-term interventions to reduce sodium intake in participants with prehypertension can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The latest findings suggest that a high sodium/potassium ratio is a stronger indicator of increased risk of cardiovascular disease than high levels of sodium or potassium alone.
WHO: Eva Obarzanek, Ph.D., of NHLBI’s Division of Prevention and Population Studies, is available for comment, and can address how these study findings can be translated into dietary guidance for heart health.
CONTACT: To schedule interviews, contact the NHLBI Communications Office at 301-496-4236 or nhlbi_news@nhlbi.nih.gov.
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The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) plans, conducts, and supports research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; and sleep disorders. The Institute also administers national health education campaigns on women and heart disease, healthy weight for children, and other topics. NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online at: www.nhlbi.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov
Resources:
NHLBI Diseases and Conditions Index: High Blood Pressure
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Hbp/HBP_WhatIs.html