title: Relation of myocardial metal concentrations to water hardness and death-rates from ischaemic heart disease.
abstract: Samples of normal heart muscle from an area with soft drinking-water (Burnley) contained significantly more magnesium and potassium than samples from an area with hard drinking-water (Hull). Females from the soft-water area had significantly more iron and copper. Males from the soft-water area had significantly less manganese and slightly less water in the heart muscle. Males in the soft water areas had significantly lower magnesium/potassium ratios, and both sexes had significantly higher potassium/sodium ratios, than those in hard water areas. The relationship between potassium/sodium ratio and death rates from arteriosclerotic disease suggests that the optimum potassium/sodium ratio is 2.8--3.0, and deviations in both directions are associated with increases in the death-rate from ischaemic heart-disease.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001834:Body Water / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003300:Copper / Q000032:analysis; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006245:Hardness Tests; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000032:analysis; D008274:Magnesium / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000032:analysis*; D011188:Potassium / Q000032:analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D014881:Water Supply
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D003300:Copper; D007501:Iron; D008274:Magnesium; D011188:Potassium