Association of Sodium and Potassium Intake With Left Ventricular Mass Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults

Abstract—High salt intake may affect left ventricular mass (LVM). We hypothesized that urinary sodium (UNa) and sodium/potassium ratio (UNa/K) are associated with LVM in a predominantly normotensive cohort of young adults. The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study is a multicenter cohort of black and white men and women aged 303.6 years at the time of baseline echocardiographic examination (1990–1991). 2D guided M-mode LVM indexed to body size (grams per meter2.7) was calculated, and UNa and potassium excretion assessed (average of three 24-hour urinary samples, n1042). Linear and logistic regression analysis was used. Participants were 57% women and 55 % black. Only 4 % were hypertensive. UNa, urinary potassium, and UNa/K ratios were (meanSD) 175.6131.0, 56.446.3, and 3.41.4 mmol/24 h, respectively. Participants in the highest versus the lowest UNa excretion quartile had the greatest LVM (37.5 versus 34.0 g/m2.7; P0.001). Adjusted for age, sex, education, and race, LVM averaged 0.945 g/m2.7 higher per SD of UNa/K (P0.001). The relationship between UNa/K and LVM persisted among 399 participants with repeat echocardiographic measures 5 years later. In logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, education, and race, each SD higher baseline UNa/K was associated with 23 % and 38 % greater chances of being in the highest quartile of LVM at baseline (odds ratio: 1.23; P0.005) and 5 years later (odds ratio: 1.38; P0.02). A higher sodium/potassium excretion ratio is significantly related to cardiac structure, even among healthy young adults. (Hypertension. 2011;58:00-00.) ● Online Data Supplemen