Twenty‐Two‐Year Population Trends in Sodium and Potassium Consumption: The Minnesota Heart Survey

Abstract

BackgroundLimiting dietary sodium consumption is a core lifestyle recommendation for the prevention of hypertension. There is increasing evidence that low potassium consumption also increases hypertension risk. We estimated sex‐specific 22‐year trends in sodium and potassium consumption.Methods and ResultsWe used data from the Minnesota Heart Survey, which performs surveillance of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. The Minnesota Heart Survey is a random population‐based sample of free‐living adults aged 25 to 74. Surveys were conducted in 1985–1987 (n=2273), 1990–1992 (n=2487), 1995–1997 (n=1842), 2000–2002 (n=2759), and 2007–2009 (n=1502). Dietary intake of sodium and potassium was estimated from one 24‐hour dietary recall. Over 22 years, age‐adjusted sodium and potassium intake among men remained relatively stable in 1985–1987 and 2007–2009 (Ptrend=0.41 and 0.29, respectively); sodium ranged from 3820 mg/day (1995–1997) to 3968 mg/day (2007–2009) and potassium from 3111 mg/day (2000–2002) to 3249 mg/day (1995–1997). Sodium and potassium intake increased among women, from 2531 mg/day in 1985–1987 to 2854 mg/day in 2007–2009 (Ptrend=0.001) for sodium and from 2285 to 2533 mg/day (Ptrend<0.0001) for potassium. We observed stable or increasing sodium and potassium intake within some strata of age, education, and body mass index.ConclusionsDespite long‐standing public health recommendations to limit sodium intake to <2300 mg/day, high sodium intake levels have persisted over the past 22 years. Furthermore, although potassium consumption increased in some subgroups over the study period, mean consumption remained significantly lower than the recommended 4700 mg/day in all groups.

Aldosterone Predicts Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolic Disease in the General Community: A 4‐Year Follow‐Up

“…We do not have available the individual sodium intake in our population, but recent studies have reported that the average dietary sodium intake in Minnesotans is unchanged over the past 2 decades and still exceeds the recommended upper limit of 2300 mg/day. 33 Further, about 90% of subjects in our cohort were Caucasian, 4% were Asian, 3% African-American, and 3% Hispanic. 34 Thus our findings may not be completely relevant to other ethnic groups other than Caucasians, although Musani et al have recently reported that higher aldosterone level predicts incident MetS in African-Americans.…”

Trends in Hypertension Control Among the Older Population of Spain From 2000 to 2001 to 2008 to 2010

“…The remainder, however, should still be elucidated. We have no data on trends in the salt content in food or sodium excreted in urine over time, but as in other countries, 36 high levels are observed currently in Spain. 37 Moreover, the diet of hypertensive patients in Spain, including older individuals, has a low accordance with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and Mediterranean dietary pattern, including sodium intake, 37 which may be counterbalancing efforts in drug treatment.…”

Circulating Aldosterone and Natriuretic Peptides in the General Community

“…Moreover, salt intake plays an important role in the aldosterone-mediated organ damage. Common in U.S. society as well as in Minnesota 24 , high salt diet can potentiate the negative effects of aldosterone via activation of the Rho family member Rac1 25 . Importantly, in Yanomamo Indians, very low salt intake is characterized by high plasma renin and aldosterone levels without the presence of CV disease 26 .…”