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Background: It is a matter of debate whether sodium and potassium intake are associated with heart disease. Further, the mechanisms underlying associations of sodium and potassium intake with cardiac events, if any, are not fully understood.Objectives: We examined cross-sectional associations of 24-h urinary sodium excretion (UNaE) and potassium excretion (UKE), as estimates of their intakes, with high-sensitivity cardiac troponins T (hs-cTnT) and I (hs-cTnI), and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), which are markers of cardiomyocyte injury and cardiac dysfunction.Methods: We included 2961 participants from the population-based Maastricht Study (mean ± SD age 59.8 ± 8.2 y, 51.9% men), who completed the baseline survey between November 2010 and September 2013. Associations were examined with restricted cubic spline linear regression analyses and ordinary linear regression analyses, adjusted for demographics, lifestyle, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.Results: Median [IQR] 24-h UNaE and UKE were 3.7 [2.8-4.7] g/24 h and 3.0 [2.4-3.6] g/24 h, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, 24-h UNaE was not associated with hs-cTnT, hs-cTnI, and NT-proBNP concentrations. In contrast, after adjustment for potential confounders, lower 24-h UKE was nonlinearly associated with higher hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP. For example, as compared with the third/median quintile of 24-h UKE (range: 2.8-3.2 g/24 h), participants in the first quintile (range: 0.5-2.3 g/24 h) had 1.05 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.11) times higher hs-cTnT and 1.14 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.26) times higher NT-proBNP. Associations were similar after further adjustment for estimated glomerular filtration rate, albuminuria, blood pressure, and serum potassium.Conclusions: Twenty-four-hour UNaE was not associated with the studied cardiac biomarkers. In contrast, lower 24-h UKE was nonlinearly associated with higher hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP. This finding supports recommendations to increase potassium intake in the general population. In addition, it suggests that cardiac dysfunction and/or cardiomyocyte injury may underlie previously reported associations of lower potassium intake with CVD mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In the Netherlands, various FFQs have been administered in large cohort studies, which hampers comparison and pooling of dietary data. The present study aimed to describe the development of a standardized Dutch FFQ, FFQ-NL1.0, and assess its compatibility with existing Dutch FFQs.Design: Dutch FFQTOOLTM was used to develop the FFQ-NL1.0 by selecting food items with the largest contributions to total intake and explained variance in intake of energy and thirty-nine nutrients in adults aged 25-69 years from the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey (DNFCS) 2007-2010. Compatibility with the Maastricht-FFQ, Wageningen-FFQ and EPICNL-FFQ was assessed by comparing the number of food items, the covered energy and nutrient intake, and the covered variance in intake.Results: FFQ-NL1.0 comprised 160 food items, v. 253, 183 and 154 food items for the Maastricht-FFQ, Wageningen-FFQ and EPICNL-FFQ, respectively. FFQ-NL1.0 covered ≥85 % of energy and all nutrients reported in the DNFCS. Covered variance in intake ranged from 57 to 99 % for energy and macronutrients, and from 45 to 93 % for micronutrients. Differences between FFQ-NL1.0 and the other FFQs in covered nutrient intake and covered variance in intake were <5 % for energy and all macronutrients. For micronutrients, differences between FFQ-NL and other FFQs in covered level of intake were <15 %, but differences in covered variance were much larger, the maximum difference being 36 %.Conclusions: The FFQ-NL1.0 was compatible with other FFQs regarding energy and macronutrient intake. However, compatibility for covered variance of intake was limited for some of the micronutrients. If implemented in existing cohorts, it is advised to administer the old and the new FFQ in combination to derive calibration factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/objectives: Low vitamin B12 and folate levels in community-dwelling older people are usually corrected with supplements. However, the effect of this supplementation on haematological parameters in older persons is not known. Therefore, we executed a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis of randomised placebo-controlled trials (RCTs).Subjects/methods: We performed a systematic search in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane and CENTRAL for RCTs published between January 1950 and April 2016, where community-dwelling elderly (60+ years) who were treated with vitamin B12 or folic acid or placebo. The presence of anaemia was not required. We analysed the data on haematological parameters with a two-stage IPD meta-analysis.Results: We found 494 full papers covering 14 studies. Data were shared by the authors of four RCTs comparing vitamin B12 with placebo (n = 343) and of three RCTs comparing folic acid with placebo (n = 929). We found no effect of vitamin B12 supplementation on haemoglobin (change 0.00 g/dL, 95% CI: -0.19;0.18), and no effect of folic acid supplementation (change -0.09 g/dL, 95% CI: -0.19;0.01). The effects of supplementation on other haematological parameters were similar. The effects did not differ by sex or by age group. Also, no effect was found in a subgroup of patients with anaemia and a subgroup of patients who were treated >4 weeks.Conclusions: Evidence on the effects of supplementation of low concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate on haematological parameters in community-dwelling older people is inconclusive. Further research is needed before firm recommendations can be made concerning the supplementation of vitamin B12 and folate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]