Relations of urinary salt, potassium and sodium-potassium ratio to standardized mortality ratios for cerebrovascular diseases and stomach cancer in Japanese women

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Health and Human Ecology Vol. 69; no. 3; pp. 80 - 89
• Main Authors: MIKAMI, Seiji, NIHIRA, Susumu, TAKEMORI, Koichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Japanese Society of Health and Human Ecology 2003
• Subjects: urinary sodium, urinary sodium-potassium ratio, stomach cancer, cerebrovascular diseases, epidemiology
• ISSN: 0368-9395; 1882-868X; 1882-868X
• DOI: 10.3861/jshhe.69.80

To test Joossens and Geboers's hypothesis that salt is a common cause of both cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) and stomach cancer (SC), we examined the relationship between: the CVD and SC standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), and urinary salt (NaCI), potassium (K) excretion, and urinary sodium-potassium ratio (Na/K). In 2000, spot urine samples, using the filter paper sampling technique, were taken from 50 female subjects aged 40 to 69, in each of 182 municipalities (95 urban and 87 rural), which covered all prefectures in Japan. While the CVD SMR levels correlated significantly with NaCI (r=0.296, p<0.o01) and Na/K (r=0.228, p=0.002), the SC SMR levels did not correlate with NaCI (r=0.108, p=0.148); instead, they significantly correlated with Na/K (r=0.169, p=0.022). It was concluded that the area-specific intake of NaCI could well account for the area difference in the CVD SMR rather than the SC SMR.