Sodium and Potassium Intakes and Their Ratio in Adults (18-90 y): Findings from the Irish National Adult Nutrition Survey

• Published in: Nutrients 2020-03, Vol.12 (4), p.938
• Main Authors: Morrissey, Eoin, Giltinan, Miriam, Kehoe, Laura, Nugent, Anne P, McNulty, Breige A, Flynn, Albert, Walton, Janette
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Blood pressure; Breakfast cereals; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; Cereals; Cost of Illness; Dietary supplements; Excretion; Female; Food Analysis; Food safety; Human nutrition; Humans; Hypertension; Hypertension - epidemiology; Hypertension - etiology; Hypertension - prevention & control; Ireland - epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Milk; Mortality; Nutrition; Nutrition Surveys; Population; Potassium; Potassium, Dietary - administration & dosage; Potassium, Dietary - adverse effects; Potassium, Dietary - urine; Potatoes; Recipes; salt; Sodium; sodium to potassium ratio; Sodium, Dietary - administration & dosage; Sodium, Dietary - urine; Stroke; Surveys; University colleges; Urine; Young Adult
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu12040938

An individual's sodium to potassium intake ratio (Na:K) has been shown to be an important predictor of hypertension. The aim of this study was to estimate the mean 24 h urinary Na, K and Na:K of Irish adults and to identify the foods that determine Na:K in a nationally representative sample of Irish adults. This study was based on data from the Irish National Adult Nutrition Survey (2008-2010) (NANS), which collected spot urine samples and dietary data in a nationally representative sample of Irish adults aged 18+ years. The mean urinary molar Na:K of Irish men and women was 1.90 and 2.15, respectively, which exceed target molar ratios of ≤1.0 and ≤2.0. The mean estimated 24-h urinary excretion of Na was 4631 mg for men and 3525 mg for women, which exceed target maximum population intakes for all gender and age groups. The mean estimated 24-h urinary excretion of K was 3894 mg for men and 2686 mg for women, with intakes in women of all ages and older men (65+ years) below current recommendations. The key foods positively associated with a lower Na:K were fruits, vegetables, potatoes, breakfast cereals, milk, yogurt and fresh meat, while the foods negatively associated with a lower Na:K were breads, cured and processed meats and butters and fat spreads. Strategies to reduce sodium and increase potassium intakes are necessary to lower population Na:K, which may help to reduce the burden of hypertension-related diseases in the Irish population.