Key result
Dietary sodium to potassium (Na:K) ratios above 2 mmol/mmol were positively associated with a steeper increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure with age (p=0.01 and p<0.01, respectively).
Why the study?
Ghana has a high hypertension prevalence but lacks current national salt consumption data needed to support and enhance advocacy for salt reduction.
Does high salt and low potassium intake correlate with increased blood pressure in adult Ghanaians?
Cross-Sectional (n=839)
Does high salt and low potassium intake correlate with increased blood pressure in adult Ghanaians?
p-value: p=0.01
This study highlights a high prevalence of excessive salt and inadequate potassium intake among adult Ghanaians, which correlates with age-related blood pressure increases, underscoring the need for population-level dietary interventions.
May guide Na:K monitoring in Ghanaian adults; leaves open causal effects on age-related BP rise.
Though Ghana has high hypertension prevalence, the country lacks current national salt consumption data required to build and enhance advocacy for salt reduction. We explored the characteristics of a randomly selected sub sample that had valid urine collection, along with matched survey, anthropometric and BP data ( n = 839, mean age = 60y), from the World Health Organization’s Study on global AGEing and adult health (WHO-SAGE), Ghana Wave 3, n = 3053). We also investigated the relationship between salt intake and blood pressure (BP) among the cohort. BP was measured in triplicate and 24 h urine was collected for the determination of urinary sodium (Na), potassium (K), creatinine (Cr) and iodine levels. Hypertension prevalence was 44.3%. Median salt intake was 8.3 g/day, higher in women compared to men (8.6, interquartile range (IQR) 7.5 g/day vs 7.5, IQR 7.4 g/day, p < 0.01), younger participants (18–49 y) compared to older ones (50+ y) (9.7, IQR 7.9 g/day vs 8.1, IQR 7.1 g/day, p < 0.01) and those with higher Body Mass Index (BMI) (> 30 kg/m 2 ) compared to a healthy BMI (18.5–24.9 kg/m 2 ) (10.04, IQR 5.1 g/day vs 6.2, IQR 5.6 g/day, p < 0.01). More than three quarters (77%, n = 647) of participants had salt intakes above the WHO maximum recommendation of 5 g/d, and nearly two thirds (65%, n = 548) had daily K intakes below the recommended level of 90 mmol. Dietary sodium to potassium (Na: K) ratios above 2 mmol/mmol were positively associated with increasing BP with age. Population-based interventions to reduce salt intake and increase K consumption are needed.
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Menyanu et al. (2020) conducted a cross-sectional in Hypertension (n=839). High dietary sodium to potassium (Na:K) ratio vs. Low Na:K ratio was evaluated on Slope of systolic and diastolic blood pressure with age (p=0.01). Dietary sodium to potassium (Na:K) ratios above 2 mmol/mmol were positively associated with a steeper increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure with age (p=0.01 and p<0.01, respectively).
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