Potassium Measures and Their Associations with Glucose and Diabetes Risk: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Abstract

BackgroundRecent studies have found low-normal potassium (K) to be associated with increased diabetes risk. We sought to verify these associations in a multi-ethnic US cohort; and to determine if these associations extend to US Hispanics and Asian-Americans.MethodsWe analyzed data from Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) participants who were free-of-diabetes at baseline. We examined cross-sectional associations between measures of K-serum, dietary, and urine-with fasting glucose and HOMA-IR. We examined longitudinal associations between K and diabetes risk over 8 years.FindingsIn multivariable models, compared to those with higher serum K (≥4.5mmol/L), those with lower serum K (ConclusionsIn this multi-ethnic cohort, we found a significant inverse association between serum K and fasting glucose but no significant association with longer-term diabetes risk. This inverse association between potassium and glucose must be studied further to understand the physiology and its potential impact on chronic health.