Low serum potassium may boost diabetes risk
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By David Liu, Ph.D. and editing by Elizabeth Hutchinson
Thursday June 16, 2011 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study in the May 2011 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that low serum potassium may be a risk factor for diabetes mellitus, particularly in African Americans.
The study shows that African Americans with serum potassium concentrations at less than 4.0 mEq/L may face a 128 percent increased risk of diabetes, compared with those who had 5.0 to 5.5 mEq/L. For white people, the difference in the serum potassium level increased the risk by 53 percent.
R. Chatterjee of Johns Hopkins University and colleagues found the association after analyzing data from 2,716 African Americans and 9,493 white people who participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, without diabetes at baseline. All participants were followed for a period of nine years.
African Americans had a lower mean serum potassium concentration and higher incidence of diabetes compared with their white counterparts. The mean potassium concentration was 4.2 mEq/L for African Americans and 4.5 mEq/L for white people. Incidence of diabetes was 26/1000 person-years for African Americans and 13/1000 person-years for white people.
Compared with those with serum potassium concentrations of 5.0 to 5.5 mEq/L, serum potassium concentrations of 4.0 to 4.4 and 4.5 to 4.9 mEq/L were associated with 97 percent and 85 percent increased risk of diabetes in African Americans, respectively, and 29 percent and 27 percent increased risk in white participants, respectively.
The researchers acknowledged that it remained unknown whether or not taking potassium supplements would reduce the risk of diabetes. Further research is needed to confirm a causal relation between serum potassium concentrations and risk of diabetes.
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