High-Salt Diet doubles the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Diabetics

People with type-2 diabetes appear to be at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases if they follow a diet high in salt.

Researchers at the University of Niigata Prefecture, Japan, claim that high-salt diet doubles the threat of cardiovascular disease in people with type-2 diabetes. Diabetes is the excess of sugar in the bloodstream. Type-2 diabetes occurs when people become resistant to the hormone insulin that carries sugar from the blood to cells.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 29.1 million Americans are diagnosed with some form of diabetes and because of that they are at a high risk of heart diseases too. The CDC 2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report states that between 2003 and 2006 the cardiovascular diseases death rate was about 1.7 times higher in adults with diabetes as compared to those without.

"The study's findings provide clear scientific evidence supporting low-sodium diets to reduce the rate of heart disease among people with diabetes," said study's first author Chika Horikawa, RD, MSc, CDE, of the University of Niigata Prefecture in Niigata, Japan.

Though many guidelines emphasize that people with diabetes to lower the intake of salt, this is one of the first studies to highlight the benefits of low-sodium diet for people with diabetes.

In the current study, researchers surveyed the participants who were a part of the Japan Diabetes Complication Study. The participants, aged between 40-70 years, were diagnosed with diabetes. These participants were identified at 59 outpatient centers and universities in Japan.

Nearly 1,588 people participated in the survey and reported about their diet including intake of sodium. They reviewed the data on cardiovascular complication that the participants experienced over a period of eight years.

The participants were further divided into four groups based on their intake of sodium. Analysis conducted showed that those who consumed an average of 5.9 grams of sodium daily had a two-fold increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases when compared to those who consumed an average of 2.8 grams of sodium daily. The effects of a high-sodium diet were intensified by poor control of blood sugar.

"To reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, it is important for people who have Type 2 diabetes to improve their blood sugar control as well as watch their diet," Horikawa said. "Our findings demonstrate that restricting salt in the diet could help prevent dangerous complications from diabetes."

The finding was documented in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.