Consuming a diet rich in potassium may help protect the heart and kidney health of patients with type 2 diabetes, a new study has claimed.
Kidney failure and heart disease are common life-threatening complications of diabetes. Individuals with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of developing kidney failure and heart disease.
To examine whether higher intake sodium and potassium are associated with these risks, Shin-ichi Araki of Shiga University of Medical Science in Japan and his colleagues studied a group of 623 patients with type 2 diabetes and normal kidney function.
Patients were enrolled between 1996 and 2003 and were followed-up until 2013.
Higher levels of urinary potassium excretion, which closely correlate with intake amounts, were linked with a slower decline of kidney function and a lower incidence of cardiovascular complications.
Sodium levels were not associated with kidney or heart health during follow-up.
"For many individuals with diabetes, the most challenging part of a treatment plan is to determine what to eat. The results in our study highlight the importance of a diet high in diabetes nutrition therapy," said Araki.
The study appears in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).
