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Abstract

<p><b>BACKGROUND: </b>Associations between dietary sodium and potassium with cardiovascular disease (CVD) remain controversial.</p><p><b>OBJECTIVES: </b>This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of dietary sodium and potassium with incident cardiovascular disease among diverse Hispanic/Latino adults.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) is a prospective cohort of 16,415 self-identifying Hispanic/Latino adults aged 18 to 74 y. At baseline (2008-2011), participants underwent a comprehensive examination by bilingual interviewers. Dietary sodium (mg/d) and potassium (mg/d) intake were assessed from the average of two 24-h dietary recall surveys. CVD events (heart failure, myocardial infarction, or stroke) occurring from baseline through 2021 were adjudicated by an expert panel of clinicians. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the associations between sodium, potassium, and the sodium-to-potassium ratio, with CVD, after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, and clinical factors. All analyses accounted for the HCHS/SOL complex survey design.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>Among 14,947 participants without a self-reported history of CVD, mean age was 40 y, with 53% female. Over 11.5 y, there were 481 CVD events [2.7 per 1000 person years, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.3, 3.2]. Nutrient intakes were associated with increased risk of CVD: by 19% for each 1 g/d increment of sodium [hazard ratio (HR): 1.19, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.34]; by 40% for each 1 g/d decrement of potassium (HR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.73); and by 146% for each 0.5 molar increment of sodium-to-potassium ratio (HR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.71, 3.56).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>In a large and diverse sample of Hispanic/Latino adults, high dietary sodium and low dietary potassium were independently associated with an increased risk of CVD. Results underscore the importance of investing in public health interventions to improve dietary quality and reduce incident CVD.</p>

Year of Publication
2026
Journal
The American journal of clinical nutrition
Volume
123
Issue
2
Number of Pages
101143
Date Published
02/2026
ISSN Number
1938-3207
DOI
10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.101143
Alternate Journal
Am J Clin Nutr
PMCID
PMC12917223
PMID
41423133
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