Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the 1989 men in the study cohort by potassium level
| Characteristic | Potassium level | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Low (≤4.0 mmol/L) |
Middle (4.1–4.5 mmol/L) |
High (≥4.6 mmol/L) |
|
| Age (years) | 48.6 (5.5) | 49.8 (5.5) | 50.7 (5.2) |
| Height (cm) | 177 (6.4) | 177 (6.2) | 177 (6.1) |
| Weight (kg) | 77.0 (10) | 77.3 (9.7) | 75.4 (10) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 24.6 (2.8) | 24.7 (2.7) | 24.2 (2.7) |
| Physical fitness (kJ/kg) | 1.53 (.63) | 1.43 (.56) | 1.37 (.52) |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 133 (19) | 129 (17) | 130 (17) |
| Sodium (mmol/L)a | 141 (3.5) | 141 (3.4) | 142 (3.7) |
| Fasting blood glucose (mmol/L) a | 4.5 (.60) | 4.5 (.54) | 4.4 (.54) |
| Triglycerides (mmol/L) | 1.28 (.66) | 1.37 (.76) | 1.25 (.63) |
| Cholesterol (mmol/L) | 6.5 (1.2) | 6.7 (1.2) | 6.6 (1.3) |
| Creatinine (μmol/L) | 81.3 (14) | 82.2 (14) | 82.2 (14) |
| Sedimentation rate (mm/hour) | 6.3 (5.2) | 7.3 (6.6) | 8.2 (7.4) |
| Smoking [n (%)], Never | 116 (33) | 278 (24) | 106 (22) |
| Former | 125 (36) | 374 (32) | 120 (25) |
| Present | 108 (31) | 503 (44) | 259 (53) |
Number are presented as mean and standard deviation if not otherwise specified
aMissing information for fasting blood glucose (n = 5) and sodium (n = 88)