Higher sodium excretion is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
Multiple 24-Hour Urinary Sodium and Potassium Excretions and Type 2 Diabetes Incidence.
Siwei Zhu … Yuan Ma
Diabetes care · Jul 2026 · Q1 in General Medicine
Purpose
High sodium and low potassium intake, well-established dietary risk factors for hypertension, may induce insulin resistance and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Methods
We included 3,173 adults without major chronic diseases from three prospective cohorts.
n = 3,173 adults
32% (HR 1.32; 95% CI 1.16-1.52)
Results
32% (HR 1.32; 95% CI 1.16-1.52)
each 1,000 mg/day more salt in urine meant higher type 2 diabetes risk
n = 3,173 adults
More results
Among 3,173 participants (mean age 62.2 ± 10.0 years, 69% women), diabetes developed in 161 over a median of 13.6 years.
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Conclusion · 1 of 2
Higher sodium intake and a higher sodium-to-potassium ratio were associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
Conclusion · 2 of 2
Although these findings suggest that adopting a low-sodium diet may reduce diabetes risk, the associations may partly reflect residual confounding despite comprehensive covariate adjustment.