Associations between sodium, potassium, and blood pressure: results from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, a prospective cohort study

• Published in: The American journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 119; no. 5; pp. 1155 - 1163
• Main Authors: Swift, Samuel L, Sotres-Alvarez, Daniela, Raij, Leopoldo, Wassertheil-Smoller, Sylvia, Schneiderman, Neil, Llabre, Maria, Zeki Al Hazzouri, Adina, Rundek, Tatjana, Van Horn, Linda, Daviglus, Martha, Castaneda, Sheila, Youngblood, Marston, Mossavar-Rahmani, Yasmin, Elfassy, Tali
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.05.2024; American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Blood Pressure; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Diet; Dietary intake; Female; Food intake; healthy eating; heart health; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic or Latino; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; nutrition; nutritional epidemiology; Position measurement; Potassium; Potassium - blood; Potassium, Dietary - administration & dosage; Prospective Studies; Regression analysis; Regression models; salt; Sitting position; Sodium; Sodium, Dietary - administration & dosage; Statistical analysis; United States; United States; United States > US; SBP; heart health; salt; CI; healthy eating; BP; SOLNAS; nutrition; DBP; V1; HCHS/SOL; V2; nutritional epidemiology
• ISSN: 0002-9165; 1938-3207; 1938-3207
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.02.032

Although the subject of numerous studies, the associations between dietary sodium, potassium, and the ratio of dietary sodium to potassium with blood pressure are not clear-cut. In addition, there is a paucity of research on these relationships in prospective cohort studies with representation from diverse Hispanic/Latino adults. To evaluate the associations between dietary intake of sodium, potassium, and the ratio of dietary sodium to potassium and blood pressure in a diverse sample of Hispanics living in the United States. This analysis included 11,429 Hispanic/Latino participants of the prospective cohort Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos recruited between 2008 and 2011 in visit 1 who participated in a follow-up visit in 2014–2017. Dietary sodium and potassium intakes were averaged from 2 interviewer-administered 24-h diet recalls collected at visit 1. At both visits, blood pressure was measured 3 times in a seated position and averaged. We assessed the relationship between dietary sodium, potassium, and the sodium-to-potassium ratio with changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure using survey-weighted multivariable-adjusted regression models. At visit 1, the mean age was 41 y, and the mean sodium intake was 3203 mg/d. Each 500 mg/d sodium increment in intake was associated with an increase in systolic blood pressure (β: 0.35 [mmHg]; 95% confidence interval: 0.06, 0.63) and diastolic blood pressure (β: 0.45 [mmHg]; 95% confidence interval: 0.08, 0.82). Dietary potassium and the molar ratio of dietary sodium to potassium were not associated with changes in systolic or diastolic blood pressure. Among a large sample of diverse United States Hispanic/Latino adults, higher sodium intake was associated with small increases in systolic blood pressure over 6 y. This research underscores the importance of dietary sodium reduction in maintaining lower blood pressure.