Potassium-rich diet can save diabetic's heart, kidneys

 Washington DC: Diabetic? You may want to start taking potassium-rich diet as a new study has suggested that it may help protect the heart and kidney health of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Individuals with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of developing kidney failure and heart disease. To examine whether higher intake sodium and potassium are associated with these risks, Shin-ichi Araki from Shiga University of Medical Science, in Japan and his colleagues studied a group of 623 patients with type 2 diabetes and normal kidney function.

Patients were enrolled between 1996 and 2003 and were followed-up until 2013.

Higher levels of urinary potassium excretion, which closely correlate with intake amounts, were linked with a slower decline of kidney function and a lower incidence of cardiovascular complications.

Sodium levels were not associated with kidney or heart health during follow-up.

For many individuals with diabetes, the most challenging part of a treatment plan is to determine what to eat.

The results in the study highlight the importance of a diet high in diabetes nutrition therapy, noted Araki.

The study will appear in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).