NCT04101188

Mechanisms Underlying the Protective Vascular Effects of Dietary Potassium in Humans

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 90 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Delaware · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 45 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Americans continue to consume high amounts of sodium. Potassium is notable for its blood pressure lowering effects but less is known regarding its effect on the vasculature. This investigation seeks to determine the role of dietary potassium on the vasculature in the presence of a high sodium diet in salt-resistant adults.

Detailed description

Significant public health efforts have been made towards salt reduction but most have met with failure. Dietary factors such high sodium/low potassium diets contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) such as atherosclerosis and high blood pressure (BP). This is important as CVD is the number one killer in the U.S. While the role of these two nutrients on BP is widely accepted, their impact on the vasculature has received less attention. Endothelial dysfunction, characterized by impaired dilation, is an important non-traditional risk factor for atherosclerosis. Evidence supporting potassium's beneficial role on vascular health remains unclear although it may be more effective in the presence of a high sodium diet. A purported mechanism responsible for sodium-induced vascular dysfunction is overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) resulting in reduced nitric oxide (NO) production/bioavailability. Additionally, high sodium diets have been shown to stiffen the endothelium. This investigation will evaluate the vascular effects of dietary potassium during a high salt diet including its impact on sodium-induced oxidative stress and endothelial cell stiffness.

Conditions

• Cardiovascular Risk Factor

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Moderate Potassium/Low Sodium Diet	Consumption of 10 days of a diet moderate in potassium and low in sodium.
OTHER	Moderate Potassium/High Sodium Diet	Consumption of 10 days of a diet moderate in potassium and high in sodium.
OTHER	High Potassium/High Sodium Diet	Consumption of 10 days of a diet high in potassium and high in sodium.

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-01-16
• Primary completion: 2026-07-31
• Completion: 2026-07-31
• First posted: 2019-09-24
• Last updated: 2026-03-04

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States