Study: Effects of Sodium and Potassium on CVD Risk

Two nutrients, sodium and potassium, may work together to affect blood pressure and heart disease risk.

19/01/09 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.