Abstract
Sodium and potassium appear to interact with each other in their effects on blood pressure with potassium supplementation having a greater blood pressure lowering-effect when sodium intake is high. Whether the effect of sodium reduction on blood pressure varies according to potassium intake levels is unclear. We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the impact of baseline potassium intake on blood pressure response to sodium reduction in randomized trials in adult populations, with sodium and potassium intake estimated from 24-h urine samples. We included 68 studies involving 5708 participants and conducted univariable and multivariable meta-regression. The median intake of baseline potassium was 67.7 mmol (Interquartile range: 54.6–76.4 mmol), and the mean reduction in sodium intake was 128 mmol (95% CI: 107–148). Multivariable meta-regression that included baseline 24-h urinary potassium excretion, age, ethnicity, baseline blood pressure, change in 24-h urinary sodium excretion, as well as the interaction between baseline 24-h urinary potassium excretion and change in 24-h urinary sodium excretion did not identify a significant association of baseline potassium intake levels with the blood pressure reduction achieved with a 50 mmol lowering of sodium intake (p > 0.05 for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure). A higher starting level of blood pressure was consistently associated with a greater blood pressure reduction from reduced sodium consumption. However, the nonsignificant findings may subject to the limitations of the data available. Additional studies with more varied potassium intake levels would allow a more confident exclusion of an interaction.
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Outside this work, BN has received salt substitute for trials from Salt Manufacturing Company in China and Nutek. NRCC is an unpaid member of World Action on Salt and Health and an unpaid consultant on dietary sodium and hypertension control to numerous governmental and non-governmental organizations. FJH is a member of Consensus Action on Salt & Health (CASH) and World Action on Salt & Health (WASH). Both CASH and WASH are non-profit charitable organizations and FJH does not receive any financial support from CASH or WASH. JHYW is supported by a UNSW Scientia Fellowship. YH and MM, BN and JHYW, are researchers within a National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence in reducing salt intake using food policy interventions (APP1117300).
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Huang, L., Neal, B., Wu, J.H.Y. et al. The impact of baseline potassium intake on the dose–response relation between sodium reduction and blood pressure change: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. J Hum Hypertens 35, 946–957 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41371-021-00510-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41371-021-00510-x