Sodium and potassium intake in Hungarian children and adolescents: Comparison of two cross sectional studies

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess the sodium and potassium intake among Hungarian children and adolescents. The study was undertaken to estimate daily sodium and potassium intake by measuring 24-h urinary electrolyte excretion rate in 200 Hungarian children (age 1–18 years). Daily sodium and potassium intake positively correlated with age, body mass index, and systolic blood pressure. As a result of the parallel trend and time course of urinary sodium and potassium excretion the sodium to potassium ratio, the important risk factor for essential hypertension remained practically unchanged with age. We did not find a significant difference in this ratio between hypertensive and normotensive, or obese and non-obese children. Sodium and potassium intake expressed per kilogram body weight decreased steadily with age, but there was no significant difference between boys and girls. When adjustment was made for age and body mass index, using multivariate regression analysis, the systolic blood pressure proved to be independent of urinary sodium excretion and daily potassium intake. Compared with Dietary Reference Intake values, the present study demonstrates that, on average, Hungarian children and adolescents have a diet rich in sodium, and poor in potassium, although during the last 20 years a favourable trend can be detected.