Dietary potassium intake and risk of stroke: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies

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#brain-ischemia #humans #potassium-dietary #prospective-studies #risk

Dietary potassium intake and risk of stroke: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies

Larsson et al., 2011 | Stroke | Meta Analysis

Citation

Larsson Susanna C, Orsini Nicola, Wolk Alicja. Dietary potassium intake and risk of stroke: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. Stroke. 2011-Oct;42(10):2746-50. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.111.622142

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Potassium intake has been inconsistently associated with risk of stroke. Our aim was to conduct a meta-analysis of prospective studies to assess the relation between potassium intake and stroke risk. METHODS: Pertinent studies were identified by a search of PubMed from January 1966 through March 2011 and by reviewing the reference lists of retrieved articles. We included prospective studies that reported relative risks with 95% CIs of stroke for ≥3 categories of potassium intake or for potassium intake analyzed as a continuous variable. Study-specific results were pooled using a random-effects model. RESULTS: Ten independent prospective studies, with a total of 8695 stroke cases and 268 276 participants, were included in the meta-analysis. We observed a statistically significant inverse association between potassium intake and risk of stroke. For every 1000-mg/day increase in potassium intake, the risk of stroke decreased by 11% (pooled relative risk, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.83 to 0.97). In the 5 studies that reported results for stroke subtypes, the pooled relative risks were 0.89 (95% CI, 0.81 to 0.97) for ischemic stroke, 0.95 (95% CI, 0.83 to 1.09) for intracerebral hemorrhage, and 1.08 (95% CI, 0.92 to 1.27) for subarachnoid hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary potassium intake is inversely associated with risk of stroke, in particular ischemic stroke.

Key Findings

Ten independent prospective studies, with a total of 8695 stroke cases and 268 276 participants, were included in the meta-analysis. We observed a statistically significant inverse association between potassium intake and risk of stroke. For every 1000-mg/day increase in potassium intake, the risk of stroke decreased by 11% (pooled relative risk, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.83 to 0.97). In the 5 studies that reported results for stroke subtypes, the pooled relative risks were 0.89 (95% CI, 0.81 to 0.97) for

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size 276
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Brain Ischemia
  • Humans
  • Potassium, Dietary
  • Prospective Studies
  • Risk
  • Risk Factors
  • Stroke

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Vertical: potassium-stroke

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09