Your body’s ratio of sodium to potassium in urine might be a better clue for heart disease risk than looking at either one alone — and the numbers suggest this ratio really does track with higher risk.

When scientists look at both salt and potassium levels in pee, they see that more salt might raise heart disease risk, while more potassium might lower it — and checking both together gives a clearer picture.

For people who already have heart disease, having just the right balance of salt and potassium in their urine — not too much, not too little — seems to be linked to the lowest chance of heart problems or dying from any cause. Too little or too much of this balance is linked to higher risks.

If you're a middle-aged adult with slightly high blood pressure, having more sodium than potassium in your body may raise your chances of heart disease by 24% for every unit increase in the balance — and this combo predicts heart problems better than either mineral alone.

Eating too much salt compared to potassium might be worse for your heart over time than just looking at salt or potassium by itself.

For adults between 30 and 84, having too much sodium compared to potassium in your diet might nearly double your chances of having a heart problem — it’s not just about salt or potassium alone, but the balance between them.