title: Assessment of Dietary Sodium and Potassium in Canadians Using 24-Hour Urinary Collection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although salt intake derived from data on urinary sodium excretion in free-living populations has been used in public policy, a population study on urinary sodium excretion has not been done in Canada. We assessed dietary sodium and potassium intake using a 24-hour urine collection in a large survey of urban and rural communities from 4 Canadian cities and determined the association of these electrolytes with blood pressure (BP).
  
  
  METHODS
  One thousand seven hundred consecutive individuals, aged 37-72 years, attending their annual follow-up visits of the ongoing Prospective and Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study in Vancouver, Hamilton, Ottawa, and Quebec City, Canada, collected a 24-hour urine sample using standardized procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean sodium excretion was 3325 mg/d and mean potassium excretion was 2935 mg/d. Sodium excretion ranged from 3093 mg/d in Vancouver to 3642 mg/d in Quebec City, after adjusting for covariates. Potassium excretion ranged from 2844 mg/d in Ottawa to 3082 mg/d in Quebec City. Both electrolytes were higher in men than in women and in rural populations than in urban settings (P < 0.001 for all). Sodium excretion was between 3000 and 6000 mg/d in 48.3% of the participants, < 3000 mg/d in 46.7%, and > 6000 mg/d in only 5%. No significant association between sodium or potassium excretion and BP was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sodium consumption in these Canadians is within a range comparable to other Western countries, and intake in most individuals is < 6000 mg/d, with only 5% at higher levels. Within this range, sodium or potassium levels were not associated with BP.
authors.affiliation: Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: andrew.mente@phri.ca.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mente
authors.affiliation: Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dagenais
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wielgosz
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University and Division of Cardiology, Providence Health Care, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lear
authors.affiliation: Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: McQueen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zeidler
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Lily
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: DeJesus
authors.affiliation: Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
authors.forename: Sumathy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rangarajan
authors.affiliation: Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Anne-Sophie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Bourlaud
authors.affiliation: Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Anne Leblanc
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: De Bluts
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University and Division of Cardiology, Providence Health Care, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Corber
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University and Division of Cardiology, Providence Health Care, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boomgaardt
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shane
authors.affiliation: Social Determinants and Science Integration Directorate, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Canada.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Social Determinants and Science Integration Directorate, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Canada.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Groh
authors.affiliation: Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; HRB Clinical Research Facility, NUI Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.affiliation: Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Salim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yusuf
authors.affiliation: Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Koon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Teo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000652:urine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011188:Potassium / Q000652:urine*; D017419:Potassium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population; D012964:Sodium / Q000652:urine*; D012982:Sodium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014505:Urban Population; D016482:Urinalysis
chemical_list: D017419:Potassium, Dietary; D012982:Sodium, Dietary; D012964:Sodium; D011188:Potassium