Sodium and potassium excretion predict increased depression in urban adolescents

Mrug et. al (2019) explore the potential role of sodium and potassium excretion in depression by collecting overnight urine samples from adolescents growing up in low-income urbanised neighbourhoods. Samples were taken at the start of the study from 84 adolescents, half of whom were male, and 95% African-American. Depressive symptoms were self-reported at baseline and at the 1.5 year stage, and comparisons were drawn after adjusting for age, BMI, pubertal development and baselines depressive symptoms. The results showed severe depressive symptoms could be predicted by high sodium and low potassium levels in urine and highlighted no variation in trend between male and female. This implies diets made up of high sodium and low potassium content can predispose adolescents who live in poorer, urban areas to develop symptoms of depression. [NPID: depression, anxiety, mental illness, sodium, potassium, low income, African American]

Year: 2019

Reference: Mrug, S., Orihuela, C., Mrug, M., & Sanders, P. W. (2019). Sodium and potassium excretion predict increased depression in urban adolescents. Physiological reports, 7(16), e14213. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14213