TOTAL EXCHANGEABLE POTASSIUM AND CHLORIDE AND TOTAL BODY WATER IN HEALTHY MEN OF VARYING FAT CONTENT

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Abstract
Total body water (TBW), total exchangeable potassium (Kg) and total exchangeable chloride (Cle) were estimated in a group of 35 healthy men of widely varying fatness by use of tritiated water, K42, and Br82. The results showed that a high degree of correlation was present for the relationships Ke against TBW, and Cle against TBW. Correlation coefficients were 0.96 and 0.95, respectively. In addition, the ratio CleTBW tended to be higher in obese men than in average men, and higher in average men than in thin men. This ratio for these three groups was 53.0, 51.5, and 49.3 meq/l, respectively. Although these three group averages are significantly different (p< 0.01), it is not possible to conclude that total exchangeable chloride was definitely increased in association with obesity, since the validity of Br82 as a chloride tracer has not been conclusively established. The relationship between Ke and TBW was independent of the degree of obesity. There was a significant difference in the ratio Ke:TBW between 6 very muscular weight-lifters and the remainder of the group. The data are discussed and are compared with data from the literature.