Inflammation and salt in young adults: the African-PREDICT study.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

Low-grade inflammation and a diet high in salt are both established risk factors for cardiovascular disease. High potassium (K+) intake was found to counter increase in blood pressure due to high salt intake and may potentially also have protective anti-inflammatory effects. To better understand these interactions under normal physiological conditions, we investigated the relationships between 22 inflammatory mediators with 24-h urinary K+ in young healthy adults stratified by low, medium and high salt intake (salt tertiles). We stratified by ethnicity due to potential salt sensitivity in black populations.

METHODS:

In 991 healthy black (N = 457) and white (N = 534) adults, aged 20-30 years, with complete data for 24-h urinary sodium and K+, we analysed blood samples for 22 inflammatory mediators.

RESULTS:

We found no differences in inflammatory mediators between low-, mid- and high-sodium tertiles in either the black or white groups. In multivariable-adjusted regression analyses in white adults, we found only in the lowest salt tertile that K+ associated negatively with pro-inflammatory mediators, namely interferon gamma, interleukin (IL) -7, IL-12, IL-17A, IL-23 and tumour necrosis factor alpha (all p ≤ 0.046). In the black population, we found no independent associations between K+ and any inflammatory mediator.

CONCLUSION:

In healthy white adults, 24-h urinary K+ associated independently and negatively with specific pro-inflammatory mediators, but only in those with a daily salt intake less than 6.31 g, suggesting K+ to play a protective, anti-inflammatory role in a low-sodium environment. No similar associations were found in young healthy black adults.

• Authors: Simone H Crouch, Shani Botha-Le Roux, Christian Delles, Lesley A Graham, Aletta E Schutte
• Journal: European journal of nutrition (Eur J Nutr) Vol. 60 Issue 2 Pg. 873-882 (Mar 2021) ISSN: 1436-6215 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 32494865 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Sodium Chloride, Dietary
• Potassium

Topics

• Blood Pressure
• Diet, Sodium-Restricted
• Humans
• Hypertension
• Inflammation
• Potassium
• Sodium Chloride, Dietary
• Young Adult