A balanced diet and weight loss are the first lines of treatment for the prevention of metabolic syndrome (MS). Dietary strategies may include changing the composition of macronutrients, adopting a particular dietary pattern as a Mediterranean diet. However, the role of micronutrients, particularly potassium, in the propensity for or treatment of the syndrome is unclear. The study aimed to examine the relationship between the presence of the MS and its risk factors and the 24-h potassium excretion as the most valid proxy for dietary intake. The analyses were performed as part of the national survey estimating sodium and other electrolytes excretion conducted between 2014-2016 in Israel. The survey included urine collection, anthropometric and blood pressure measurements, and a comprehensive medical questionnaire that included details on the intake of medications that may affect electrolyte secretion. A model was constructed to evaluate the probability for the MS. MS score and its probability were examined in relation to potassium excretion at different levels and in stratification to sex. A total of 581 participants were included in the analysis. The mean potassium excretion was 2818 ± 1417 mg. The prevalence of the MS was 18.5% among participants with above-average potassium excretion and about 10.4% among participants with lower-than-average excretion (p = 0.007). A dose-response relationship was observed between MS score and potassium: the higher the score, the lower was the excretion of potassium. Potassium excretion, rather than sodium excretion, correlated with all components of the MS and even predicted MS independently from other variables. This is the first study based on a national survey showing that potassium consumption, as represented by daily excretion in urine, is inversely related to the presence of MS components after adjustment for several leading variables and careful exclusion of participants taking drugs which may interfere in potassium excretion.
Keywords: metabolic syndrome; potassium excretion; sodium excretion.