Subjects in the highest quartile of potassium intake had 39% lower odds for metabolic syndrome compared to those in the lowest quartile. - GreenMedInfo Summary

OBJECTIVE: Potassium intake may be associated with metabolic syndrome and its components, but there has been little evidence so far. We evaluated the association between the metabolic syndrome and potassium intake in the general population.

METHODS: Participants were 7542 adults (≥20 years of age) from the fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2009), which is a cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of the Korean population. Data were obtained from standardized questionnaires as well as physical and laboratory examination reports. The 24-h recall method was used for dietary assessment. Metabolic syndrome was defined based on the modified National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to estimate the odds of metabolic syndrome and its components across potassium intake quartiles.

RESULTS: After adjusting for various lifestyle and dietary confounders, subjects in the highest quartile of potassium intake had 39% lower odds for metabolic syndrome compared to those in the lowest quartile (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.42-0.89; p for trend: 0.013). This association was consistent for both sexes. Among the components of metabolic syndrome, potassium intake was inversely related to abdominal obesity and fasting hyperglycemia in multivariate analysis (p for trend = 0.049 and 0.010, respectively).

CONCLUSION: Our results reveal a significant inverse association between potassium intake and metabolic syndrome in adults. Further studies are required to confirm this association.