Usage of table salt and risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality among patients with diabetes: a national population-based cohort study

A lower dietary sodium intake has been associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the general population. However, the evidence is less clear in diabetic patients. The study aims to investigate whether the usage of table salt is associated with all-cause and CVD mortality among individuals with diabetes. In this prospective cohort study, participants with diabetes from the U.S. National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2018 were included. Weighted linear regression models were employed to assess the association between the usage of table salt and dietary sodium intake. Weighted Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the association between the usage of table salt and all-cause and CVD mortality. This cohort study included data from 6,258 participants in analysis. During 44,035 person-years of follow-up, 1,504 deaths from all-causes and 427 from CVD were documented. Not using table salt was significantly associated with lower dietary sodium intake, with a β of -192.60 (95% CI, -297.01 to -88.18) mg. A higher risk of all-cause and CVD mortality was observed in the group of participants not using table salt among patients with diabetes. Compared with participants using table salt, the hazard ratios for all-cause mortality were 1.18 (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.35), and for CVD were 1.48 (95 CI, 1.16 to 1.90) for participants not using table salt. The subgroup analysis revealed a significantly stronger link between the usage of table salt and all-cause mortality in participants with CVD (P for interaction = 0.004). This study indicated that not using table salt was associated with a lower dietary sodium intake, and an increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality among individuals with diabetes. Interventional studies are needed to determine more beneficial relevant approaches to dietary management in diabetes care.