High Potassium Intake Research Articles

Asupan gizi dan status gizi sebagai faktor risiko hipertensi esensial pada lansia di Puskesmas Curup dan Perumnas Kabupaten Rejang Lebong Propinsi Bengkulu

Background: Hypertension is happened generally at someone who has age more than 40 year. The prevalence of hypertension was tend to increase along with the increasing of amount of the elderly. Changing of nutrition status and unfavorable nutrition intakes like is high fat, sodium and low micronutrients (potassium, calcium, magnesium) have an effect to incidence of essential hypertension. Retreating of biologic accompanying aging process sometimes make the elderly become resistance to get quality of intakes nutrition.Objective: The study was conducted to know relations between nutrition intakes and nutrition status with occurrence on essential hypertension of the elderly in the health center Curup and Perumnas, Rejang Lebong District.Method: The study was observational analytic with case control matched study. Subject of the study was divided into two group i.e. case and control with comparison case and control 1:1 which matched to age and sex. Total subject were 150, taken by simple random method. The cases were essential hypertension patients who had recently diagnosed by doctors. Blood pressure measurements were three times in supine position. Hypertension was defined as average of three times supine systolic/diastolic blood pressures at p >140/ 90 mmHg. Nutrition status was determined by Body Mass Index (BMI). Intake nutrients were collected using Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) in the last 3 months by using food model. χ 2 McNemar were used to bivariate analytic and condition logistic regression to identify risk factors associated with essential hypertension.Result: This study showed that there were 4 variables significantly related with essential hypertension, i.e. intakes of sodium (OR: 3.43; CI 95%:1.09-10.77), potassium (OR: 0.24; CI 95%:0.07-0.84), stress (OR: 3.79; CI 95%:1.18-12.12), and obesity (OR: 4.57; CI 95%:1.49-13.95). The no significant correlation (p>0.05) identified for intakes of fat, calcium, magnesium, coffee consumption, smoking status and family history of essential hypertension.Conclusion: High intake of sodium, stress and obesity were the risk factors on occurrence of essential hypertension. In the other hand, high intake of potassium were reduce the risk on occurrence of essential hypertension (protective factor) in the health center Curup and Perumnas, Rejang Lebong District.

Steroid synthesis and synaptocrinology in the hippocampal synapses

This chapter discusses the regulation of the formation of glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids in vivo. Recent findings clearly demonstrate a different regulation for the biosynthesis of glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids. The renin–angiotensin system is the main regulator of aldosterone synthesis. Recent findings have also clearly established that a low sodium or high potassium intake are factors that control the expression of the early and final steps of mineralocorticoid formation. It is suggested that adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) is the principal factor involved in the control of glucocorticoid biosynthesis and secretion, whereas many other factors participate in mineralocorticoid metabolism. ACTH binds to specific cell membrane receptors and induces the formation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and the activation of protein kinase A. At short term, ACTH activates the transport and the availability of cholesterol to mitochondrial P450scc to facilitate the formation of pregnenolone. The synthesis of new P450scc protein does not appear necessary, at least for the short term effect of ACTH. It is suggested that a predominant role is played by P45017α in the control of glucocorticoid synthesis.

Life-Style Related Diseases, Metabolic Syndrome and Dietary Education

In recent Japan, life-style related diseases such as diabetes (type II diabetes mellitus), hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and arteriosclerosis have been increasing due to changes in the life-style, particularly in eating habits. The trend interferes with people's pleasant and healthy longevity in Japan facing the world's most aged society while raising an issue that increased health care expenditure including medical one is threatening nation's finance. It is important for people to have proper eating habits to prevent both life-style related diseases and metabolic syndrome lying ahead of them. Therefore, it is essential that adults and even young people should be provided with dietary education so that they can adapt to healthy eating habits. This paper describes preventive measures against life-style related diseases including ways of eating to avoid rapid elevation in blood glucose level after a meal, advantages of traditional Japanese diet that is high in dietary fiber and low in fat content, and the prevention of hypertension by reduced salt and high potassium intake. In addition, it introduces examples of communities in Japan that implemented such measures with successful results.

Other relevant components of nuts: phytosterols, folate and minerals

Nuts contain significant amounts of essential micronutrients that are associated with an improved health status when consumed at doses beyond those necessary to prevent deficiency states. Nuts do not contain cholesterol, but they are rich in chemically related phytosterols, a class of compounds that interfere with intestinal cholesterol absorption and thus help lower blood cholesterol. Nuts also contain folate, a B-vitamin necessary for normal cellular function that plays an important role in detoxifying homocysteine, a sulphur-containing amino acid with atherothrombotic properties that accumulates in plasma when folate status is subnormal. Compared to other common foodstuffs, nuts have an optimal nutritional density with respect to healthy minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. Like that of most vegetables, the sodium content of nuts is very low. A high intake of calcium, magnesium and potassium, together with a low sodium intake, is associated with protection against bone demineralisation, arterial hypertension, insulin resistance, and overall cardiovascular risk. Phytosterols might justify part of the cholesterol-lowering effect of nut intake beyond that attributable to fatty acid exchange, while the mineral richness of nuts probably contributes to the prevention of diabetes and coronary heart disease observed in epidemiological studies in association with frequent nut consumption.

Salt Loading on Plasma Asymmetrical Dimethylarginine and the Protective Role of Potassium Supplement in Normotensive Salt-Sensitive Asians

Asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous inhibitor of NO synthase. Because endothelial NO pathway is compromised in patients with salt-sensitive hypertension, we investigated whether the plasma ADMA can be modulated by chronic salt loading in normotensive salt-sensitive persons and its relationship with NO, and we further determined whether or not dietary potassium supplementation can reverse them. Sixty normotensive subjects (aged 20 to 60 years) were selected from a rural community of Northern China. All of the people were sequentially maintained on a low-salt diet for 7 days (3 g/day, NaCl), then a high-salt diet for 7 days (18 g/day), and high-salt diet with potassium supplementation for another 7 days (4.5 g/day, KCl). After salt loading, the plasma ADMA concentrations increased significantly in salt-sensitive subjects (0.89+/-0.02 micromol/L versus 0.51+/-0.02 micromol/L; P<0.05), whereas the plasma NOx levels reduced considerably (41.8+/-2.1 micromol/L versus 63.5+/-2.1 micromol/L; P<0.01). All of the abnormalities normalized when dietary potassium were supplemented (0.52+/-0.03 micromol/L versus 0.89+/-0.02 micromol/L for ADMA and 58.1+/-0.9 micromol/L versus 41.8+/-2.1 micromol/L for NOx). Statistically significant correlations were found among plasma ADMA level, the mean blood pressure, and the level of NO after salt loading in normotensive salt sensitive individuals. Our study indicates that high dietary potassium intake reduces blood pressure and ADMA levels while increasing NO bioactivity in normotensive salt-sensitive but not salt-resistant Asian subjects after salt loading.

End-stage renal disease in Brazil: Epidemiology, prevention, and treatment

Brazil is one of the largest and most populous nations in the world, ranking among the 5 largest economies in the Americas and among the 15 largest economies in the world. However, Brazil is still plagued by social problems such as the persistence of poverty and immense deficiencies in its health system. Currently, there are approximately 390 patients on chronic renal replacement therapy (RRT) per million population, about one third the US prevalence, which suggests that end-stage renal disease is either underdiagnosed or undertreated. The epidemiology of renal disease in the small remaining native Brazilian population is largely unknown. However, it is likely that the prevalence of renal disease is low among at least 2 tribes: the Yanomamis in northern Brazil and the Xingu Indians in central Brazil. Sodium intake is very low, physical activity is intense, and the prevalence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease is negligible among these people, which stresses the potential pathogenic importance of so-called civilized habits. There is currently no conclusive evidence that African descendants or any other Brazilian ethnic minorities are especially vulnerable to renal disease. Access to RRT in Brazil is universal. However, because both the end-stage renal disease population and operational RRT costs are steadily increasing, the system may face severe limitations in the near future. Much effort is needed to limit the prevalence of renal disease, to detain or retard the progression of chronic nephropathies, and to ensure that high-quality RRT will remain available to all those who need it.

Dietary Potassium in Cardiovascular Prevention: Nutritional and Clinical Implications

A dietary pattern characterized by high sodium and low potassium intake contributes unequivocally to a rise in blood pressure and eventually to hypertension. The purpose of this review is to discuss here the complex relationship among dietary potassium, potassium homeostasis and blood pressure regulation. Potassium is the major intracellular cation in the body. The fine regulation of its balance rely on a close interplay between extrarenal and renal mechanisms aimed to maintain the large concentration gradient between intracellular and extracellular potassium. Apparently, the homeostatic control of potassium balance is less effective in preventing subtle or major potassium deficiencies induced by chronic subnormal potassium intake. The hypothesis that low potassium intake may cause a rise in blood pressure derives from epidemiological surveys showing an inverse relationship between individual blood pressure levels and 24-hour urinary potassium excretion. The results of the clinical trials confirmed that an increase of potassium intake lowers blood pressure in patients with hypertension and, to a lesser extent, in normotensive subjects. Furthermore, there is promising evidence that an increase in potassium intake (namely from fruit and vegetables) is associated with a reduction in stroke mortality. We conclude that increasing dietary potassium through an increase in the consumption of fruit and vegetables is an important public health target. Keywords: potassium, diet, prevention, blood pressure, hypertension, cardiovascular disease

Feed intake and production in sheep fed diets high in sodium and potassium

Salinity is a problem facing many crop and livestock producers in southern Australia. One management option is to revegetate with salt-tolerant plants suitable for animal production. These plants are often halophytic shrubs containing up to 30% ash, predominantly as sodium, potassium, or chloride. This experiment examines the consequences of a high intake of sodium and potassium separately or together on feed intake, digestibility, liveweight change, and wool growth. Twelve groups of 6 weaner wethers were allocated to treatments according to a balanced 3 × 4 factorial design with 3 levels of added potassium (0, 0.38, and 0.77 mol/kg DM equivalent to 0, 15, and 30 g/kg DM) and 4 levels of added sodium (0, 0.87, 2.18, and 3.48 mol/kg DM, equivalent to 0, 20, 50, and 80 g/kg DM) as the chloride salts. The treatment diets were fed to sheep for 6 weeks. Increasing sodium in the diet significantly decreased feed intake, digestibility, liveweight gain, and wool growth either as a main effect or through an interaction with potassium. Organic matter intake was reduced from 1.35 kg at the lowest levels of sodium and potassium to 0.67 kg at the highest levels. Comparing the same 2 groups, liveweight gain was reduced from 144 to 0 g/day, organic matter digestibility from 59.1% to 57.3%, and wool growth from 1.21 to 1.04 mg/cm2.day. The response surfaces indicate that production was depressed even at the lower levels of sodium, whereas high potassium depressed intake, digestibility, and liveweight gain at high levels of sodium only. The interaction between sodium and potassium was always negative at high levels of sodium, indicating that manipulation of the proportions of the 2 elements is unlikely to provide benefits for animal production when total salt levels are high. Although wool growth was depressed at high sodium and potassium, the efficiency of wool growth increased from 10.0 to 15.4 g/kg organic matter intake when the lowest and highest levels of the sodium and potassium were compared. This result may present significant opportunities for the use of saline land to grow fine wool.

Northern conditions influencing the selection of countermeasures after radioactive fallout in Finland

The paper summarizes an evaluation of practicability of rural countermeasures after radioactive fallout in northern conditions carried out by a Finnish group of experts in the FARMING Network project. Snow and soil frost limit the selection of crops, and the short growing season allows mostly one harvest yearly. Cold climate restricts fruit production to apples and berries. Due to the long indoor feeding period, conserved and stored clean feed is available almost all year round. The use of fertilisers and lime on poor and acidic soils leads to high potassium and calcium intake of cows increasing the incidence of milk fever. The surface soil layer is thin and ploughing deeper than 20 cm is problematic due to stony and compacted soils. It also increases soil acidity and decreases fertility. Cultivation of peatlands limits the selection of plants and increases long-term radiocaesium contamination of crops. Frost and snow delay ploughing and spreading of waste milk on arable land, but removal of snow is a decontamination option. Long distances and high transport costs complicate carrying out the countermeasures. The Finnish stakeholder group considered it vital to be prepared for implementation of practicable measures for the safety of food.

Hypertension curriculum review: epidemiology and the prevention of hypertension.

Hypertension curriculum review: epidemiology and the prevention of hypertension.

Potassium Chloride Supplementation Diminishes Platelet Reactivity in Humans

The prevalence of occlusive stroke is inversely correlated with potassium intake. We explored the hypothesis that a high potassium intake attenuates platelet reactivity, as expressed in ADP-evoked platelet aggregation. We studied healthy men (n=31) and women (n=42), blacks (n=33) and whites (n=40). In this cohort, we supplemented the habitual intake of 17 men and 21 women with 60 mmol KCl/70 kg body weight per day for 3 days and maintained 14 men and 21 women on their habitual intake. We then compared the change in ADP concentration causing 50% of the maximal initial rate (EC50) of platelet aggregation in the potassium-supplemented versus control groups. Potassium supplementation attenuated platelet reactivity, expressed by an increase in EC50 of platelet aggregation (P=0.0005), which was primarily attributable to an increase in EC50 in whites (P=0.0004). Urinary potassium excretion was significantly lower in blacks than in whites under basal conditions and after potassium supplementation. We conclude that potassium supplementation diminishes platelet reactivity, a phenomenon that provides a link between platelet biology and occlusive stroke.

High intake of magnesium in relation to the ruminal transmural potential difference and magnesium absorption in wethers.

High potassium (K) intakes are known to decrease magnesium (Mg) absorption in ruminants by increasing the transmural potential difference (PDt, serosal side = positive). High Mg intakes are known to increase the amount of Mg absorbed, which may be explained by increasing the ruminal Mg concentration, but an effect on the PDt cannot be excluded. The objective of this study was to determine whether or not Mg intake affects the PDt. In a 3 x 3 Latin square design, six ruminally fistulated wethers were fed a low-Mg, low-K ration (3.88 g Mg/kg dry matter (DM); 30.7 g K/kg DM), a high-Mg, low K-ration (16.79 g Mg/kg DM; 30.7 g K/kg DM), and a low-Mg ration high-K (3.88 g Mg/kg DM or 62.1 g K/kg DM). When compared with the low-Mg, low-K ration, the high-Mg, low-K ration raised the absolute apparent Mg absorption (g/day) by 421% and the low-Mg, high-K ration decreased it by 20%. The intake of extra K produced a significant increase in the PDt. The intake of extra Mg did not change the PDt across the rumen wall but produced a significant increase of the ruminal Mg concentrations. On the basis of the individual values for three rations, the mean post feeding ruminal Mg concentrations were found to be unrelated to the PDt (Pearson's r = -0.329, p = 0.183, n = 18). Thus, it is concluded that the observed increase in Mg absorption after a high Mg intake can be explained by an increase in the ruminal Mg concentration rather than by a change in PDt.

Dietary protein intake and risk of osteoporotic hip fracture in elderly residents of Utah.

The role of protein intake in osteoporosis is unclear. In a case-control study in Utah (n = 2501), increasing level of protein intake was associated with a decreased risk of hip fracture in men and women 50-69 years of age but not in those 70-89 years of age. Protein intake may be important for optimal bone health. Protein is an important component of bone, but the role of dietary protein intake in osteoporosis and fracture risk remains controversial. The role of dietary protein intake in osteoporotic hip fracture was evaluated in a statewide case-control study in Utah. Patients, 50-89 years of age, with hip fracture (cases) were ascertained through surveillance of 18 Utah hospitals during 1997-2001. Age- and gender-matched controls were randomly selected. Participants were interviewed in their place of residence, and diet was assessed using a picture-sort food frequency questionnaire previously reported to give a useful measure of usual dietary intake in the elderly Utah population. The association between protein intake and risk of hip fracture was examined across quartiles of protein intake and stratified by age group for 1167 cases (831 women, 336 men) and 1334 controls (885 women, 449 men). In logistic regression analyses that controlled for gender, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol use, calcium, vitamin D, potassium, physical activity, and estrogen use in women, the odds ratios (OR) of hip fracture decreased across increasing quartiles of total protein intake for participants 50-69 years of age (OR: 1.0 [reference]; 0.51 [95% CI: 0.30-0.87]; 0.53 [0.31-0.89]; 0.35 [0.21-0.59]; p < 0.001). No similar associations were observed among participants 70-89 years of age. Results from analyses stratified by low and high calcium and potassium intake did not differ appreciably from the results presented above. Higher total protein intake was associated with a reduced risk of hip fracture in men and women 50-69 years of age but not in men and women 70-89 years of age. The association between dietary protein intake and risk of hip fracture may be modified by age. Our study supports the hypothesis that adequate dietary protein is important for optimal bone health in the elderly 50-69 years of age.

Severe Hyperkalemia Related to Excessive Tomato Juice Ingestion in Presence of Neobladder

Hyperkalemia and other metabolic abnormalities are wellknown sequelae of urinary intestinal diversion.1 Potassium overload has also been reported in patients with renal insufficiency who consume excessive juices.2 A case of potentially life threatening hyperkalemia is described in a man who consumed excessive tomato juice while recovering from cystoprostatectomy and urinary diversion. CASE REPORT A 68-year-old man was discharged home after undergoing cystectomy and creation of an orthotopic ileal (Studer) neobladder. He asked for approval to continue recovery from the operation on a moored oceangoing boat. The boat was air conditioned and had “the comforts of home,” so approval was given provided he maintained adequate fluid intake and avoided the summer heat. No specific oral intake guidelines were given, but he was instructed that the urine should remain clear as an indicator of adequate hydration. Despite physiological diaphoresis due to the September heat, he maintained adequate fluid intake to achieve that goal. Two weeks later the patient reported progressive asthenia, pruritis and anorexia. He was admitted to the local hospital after serum laboratory tests demonstrated potassium 8.5, sodium 127, bicarbonate 28, chloride 98, blood urea nitrogen 137 and creatinine 3.1. Electrocardiogram was normal with no QRS widening. Abdominal computerized tomography showed no hydronephrosis, minimal residual volume in the neobladder and no abnormal fluid collections. He was admitted to the intensive care unit with the diagnosis of hyperkalemia secondary to prerenal azotemia. Sodium polystyrene sulfonate was administered rectally, and serum potassium and creatinine normalized within 12 hours using an intravenous drip of insulin, bicarbonate and 50% dextrose solution. With the exception of the recent operation, the patient denied all known risk factors, including significant intake of foods (ie bananas, oranges, etc) known to have high potassium concentration. However, he volunteered that the primary source of fluid (“at least 12 to 15 glasses a day”) during the recovery period was tomato juice. No other sources of hyperkalemia were identified. Following dietary reeducation and recovery from the acute illness all symptoms remain resolved and the patient remains clinically free of disease 12 months postoperatively. All laboratory values remain normal except blood urea nitrogen, which is steady in the 30 to 40 range. DISCUSSION A MEDLINE search revealed no published reports of hyperkalemia related to the ingestion of tomato juice. Patients with normal renal function should be able to maintain electrolyte homeostasis within wide-ranging intakes. However, those with urinary intestinal diversion reabsorb urinary potassium through the ileal wall.1 Tomato juice has a high concentration of potassium at 12 to 35 mEq per 100 ml.3 It appears that the combination of high potassium intake with reabsorption through the neobladder and dehydration led to dangerous serum levels in this patient. The absence of recurrence simply with dietary reeducation confirms this etiology. Physicians caring for patients with urinary diversion should be aware that ingestion of excessive amounts of tomato juice can be an uncommon risk factor for the development of severe hyperkalemia.

Decreasing Dietary Sodium While Following a Self-Selected Potassium-Rich Diet Reduces Blood Pressure

Reducing dietary sodium reduces blood pressure (BP), a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but few studies have specifically examined the effect on BP of altering dietary sodium in the context of a high potassium diet. This randomized, crossover study compared BP values in volunteer subjects self-selecting food intake and consuming low levels of sodium (Na+; 50 mmol/d) with those consuming high levels of sodium (> or =120 mmol/d), in the context of a diet rich in potassium (K+). Sodium supplementation (NaSp) produced the difference in Na+ intake. Subjects (n = 108; 64 women, 44 men; 16 on antihypertensive therapy) had a mean age of 47.0 +/- 10.1 y. Subjects were given dietary advice to achieve a low sodium (LS) diet with high potassium intake (50 mmol Na+/d, >80 mmol K+/d) and were allocated to NaSp (120 mmol Na+/d) or placebo treatment for 4 wk before crossover. The LS diet decreased urinary Na+ from baseline, 138.7 +/- 5.3 mmol/d to 57.8 +/- 3.8 mmol/d (P < 0.001). The NaSp treatment returned urinary Na+ to baseline levels 142.4 +/- 3.7 mmol/d. Urinary K+ increased from baseline, 78.6 +/- 2.3 to 86.6 +/- 2.1 mmol/d with the LS diet and to 87.1 +/- 2.1 mmol/d with NaSp treatment (P < 0.001). The LS diet reduced home systolic blood pressure (SBP) by 2.5 +/- 0.8 mm Hg (P = 0.004), compared with the NaSp treatment. Hence, reducing Na+ intake from 140 to 60 mmol/d significantly decreased home SBP in subjects dwelling in a community setting who consumed a self-selected K+-rich diet, and this dietary modification could assist in lowering blood pressure in the general population.

IGF-I activity may be a key determinant of stroke risk – a cautionary lesson for vegans

IGF-I acts on vascular endothelium to activate nitric oxide synthase, thereby promoting vascular health; there is reason to believe that this protection is especially crucial to the cerebral vasculature, helping to ward off thrombotic strokes. IGF-I may also promote the structural integrity of cerebral arteries, thereby offering protection from hemorrhagic stroke. These considerations may help to explain why tallness is associated with low stroke risk, whereas growth hormone deficiency increases stroke risk – and why age-adjusted stroke mortality has been exceptionally high in rural Asians eating quasi-vegan diets, but has been declining steadily in Asia as diets have become progressively higher in animal products. There is good reason to suspect that low-fat vegan diets tend to down-regulate systemic IGF-I activity; this effect would be expected to increase stroke risk in vegans. Furthermore, epidemiology suggests that low serum cholesterol, and possibly also a low dietary intake of saturated fat – both characteristic of those adopting low-fat vegan diets – may also increase stroke risk. Vegans are thus well advised to adopt practical countermeasures to minimize stroke risk – the most definitive of which may be salt restriction. A high potassium intake, aerobic exercise training, whole grains, moderate alcohol consumption, low-dose aspirin, statin or policosanol therapy, green tea, and supplementation with fish oil, taurine, arginine, and B vitamins – as well as pharmacotherapy of hypertension if warranted – are other practical measures for lowering stroke risk. Although low-fat vegan diets may markedly reduce risk for coronary disease, diabetes, and many common types of cancer, an increased risk for stroke may represent an ‘Achilles heel’. Nonetheless, vegans have the potential to achieve a truly exceptional ‘healthspan’ if they face this problem forthrightly by restricting salt intake and taking other practical measures that promote cerebrovascular health.

High salt intake appears to increase bone resorption in postmenopausal women but high potassium intake ameliorates this adverse effect.

A high-salt diet increases urinary calcium excretion. Its effect on bone, however, is less clear. Recent research suggests that a high-salt diet increases the rate of bone resorption in postmenopausal women over a 4-week period, but increased potassium intake (as potassium citrate) ameliorates this adverse effect. These findings may have implications for the development of dietary guidelines for osteoporosis prevention.

Ethnic, geographic and dietary influences upon vasoactive hormones and blood pressure among Greenland Inuit and Danes

Aim: To study levels of vasoactive hormones and urinary excretion of sodium and potassium between groups of Greenland Inuit and Danes, and to analyse the relationship between these hormones and 24‐h blood pressure, including nightly blood pressure dips and pulse pressure. Methods: 145 Greenlandic participants were categorized in three groups according to degree of westernization, based on dietary habits and current place of residence; 41 Danes were included as controls. Twenty‐four‐hour blood pressure was measured. Venous plasma concentrations of vasoactive hormones were measured. Urine was collected for 24 hours for analysis of excretion of sodium and potassium. Results: The Inuit population of Greenland had a lower diastolic blood pressure, a higher pulse pressure and lower nocturnal blood pressure dip than Danes had. Angiotensin II in plasma and urine excretion of potassium were higher among Greenlanders compared with Danes, irrespective of diet and place of residence. Aldosterone and urine excretion of sodium were significantly higher among participants in Denmark compared with participants in Greenland. Brain natriuretic peptide and atrial natriuretic peptide were independently and negatively associated with diastolic blood pressure, and vasopressin was positively associated with systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure. Ethnic differences in the effect of vasoactive hormones or urinary sodium and potassium excretion could not explain the difference in blood pressure. Conclusion: It is suggested that a high dietary intake of potassium and low sodium intake among Greenlanders may affect blood pressure. Further attention should be drawn to the occurrence of high pulse pressure and high activity in the renin–angiotensin system in Inuit populations.

Prevention Conference VI: Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease: executive summary: conference proceeding for healthcare professionals from a special writing group of the American Heart Association.

The American Heart Association (AHA) sponsored a scientific conference entitled “Prevention VI: Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease” on January 18 to 20, 2001, in Orlando, Fla. The purpose of this conference was to create a report that would assist the AHA in the development of an agenda to reduce cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) that are associated with diabetes. The report has been developed by working group sections. The topics to be covered by each working group were introduced by a series of presentations, and this was followed by an extensive discussion of a team of working group members. The primary objectives of this meeting were as follows: The key findings of each working group are presented in this Executive Summary of the conference. The full conference report with references is available online at http://www.circulationaha.org in the May 7, 2002, issue of Circulation . The prevalence of diabetes in the United States is increasing rapidly, and individuals with diabetes are at high risk for cardiovascular disorders that affect the heart, brain, and peripheral vessels. Although CVD accompanying diabetes is on the rise, many unanswered questions remain concerning the temporal relations between diabetes and CVD, the contributions of conventional risk factors, and the role of diabetes-specific risk factors. Almost 35 million Americans—20% …

Multiregression analysis on predictors determining the urinary potassium excretion and radiocaesium body burdens in two different ethnic groups

Within the field of environmental radiology, the levels of potassium and creatinine in urine are sometimes used to estimate the 24h excretion of radiocaesium from single urine samples. This is done in order to estimate the whole-body content of radiocaesium and the associated absorbed dose rate in man. Data on human urinary potassium excretion from various sources are available in the literature, but there are clear discrepancies between the ICRP 23 values for the reference man and these data which vary with the geographical location of the population. The relationship between urinary potassium and creatinine excretion and the correlation to parameters such as age, sex, body weight and ethnicity were investigated through multiple regression analysis. The groups of adults studied were a group from the city of Lund in southern of Sweden (1987-1994) and a group from rural areas outside the city of Bryansk, Russia (1994-1997). A significant difference was found in the relationship between the urinary potassium concentration and the creatinine concentration between the Swedish and Russian subjects. The elevated potassium concentrations found in the rural Russian subjects indicate a high dietary intake of potassium, which is in accordance with results from a Russian food habit questionnaire in the Bryansk area. No significant correlations were found between urinary potassium concentration and weight or age. The significant difference in the relationship between urinary potassium and creatinine between the two populations could explain the difference of a factor of two found in estimations of the whole-body content of 137 Cs for the Russian group, depending on which of the two substances, creatinine or potassium, was used for estimation of the body burden of 137 Cs from single urine samples.