Day 252 - 20 May 96 - Page 37
1 based on a study in which the gradual rise in blood
2 pressure in children as they got older was related to their
3 excretion of sodium and potassium.
4
5 Now, both sodium and potassium are virtually excreted
6 totally in the urine, so all one has to do is to collect
7 the urine and this is by far the best way of estimating
8 sodium and potassium intakes. What was found in the study
9 was that the children with the lowest sodium intakes,
10 measured over a period of many years, had a much decreased
11 rise in blood pressure as they got older. But this was
12 also associated with potassium intake and, of the two,
13 potassium seems to be more influential, that sodium has the
14 effect of pushing the blood cholesterol up, whereas
15 potassium has the effect of depressing it and, in fact,
16 what seemed to be more important was the ratio of sodium
17 and potassium in the diet.
18
19 Q. Do you know the name of that study?
20 A. No. I think they were by Dutch authors, I cannot
21 recall it, but it is one of the very few studies that has
22 been done on children over a period of time.
23
24 The problem with talking about sodium and potassium is that
25 whereas the public in general can just about get the hang
26 of sodium and realise it has to do with salt, potassium is
27 really a difference kettle of fish altogether, people
28 simply do not understand potassium, and the COMA Report, in
29 fact, the previous COMA Report on diet and heart disease
30 pointed out an increase in potassium intake would have a
31 more dramatic effect on blood pressure than a reduction in
32 salt intake, but this is something that is very difficult
33 to promote as a health education measure because people
34 simply do not understand potassium.
35 I think that comes in the paragraph following the one that
36 you mentioned, the importance of potassium.
37
38 To some extent, this is taken care of with a recommendation
39 of increased consumption of fruit and vegetables which are
40 major source of potassium so that if people consumed more
41 fruit and vegetables they will inevitably consume more
42 potassium and this will be beneficial.
43
44 Q. Right, and if they were consuming more fruit and
45 vegetables, if they were to keep their overall energy
46 intake the same, they would consume less meat and dairy
47 produce?
48 A. Well, it depends on what fruit and vegetables were
49 displacing in the diet. I do not think that people would
50 think about their food in quite that way.
51
52 Q. Those were the general recommendations though?
53 A. Yes, an increase in the consumption of fruit and
54 vegetables.
55
56 Q. And a decrease in the consumption of meat and diary
57 products?
58 A. Can you point that out to me? I did not realise that
59 it actually said that anywhere in the Report.
60
