Lower Blood Pressure with Potassium

According to research, the number of people living with high blood pressure would be reduced 10% if American’s were to increase their intake of potassium. Sodium – Potassium Link The effectiveness of potassium to lower blood pressure is directly related to sodium. Potassium works to balance out the sodium in your diet. An adequate potassium intake can lower systolic pressure ~4.4 mm Hg and diastolic pressure ~2.5 mm Hg. If you want to prevent or lower blood pressure it’s very important you balance your intake of sodium and potassium. The more potassium in your diet and the lower the sodium, the better your blood pressure will be. Potassium Recommendations Many Americans are deficient on potassium intake with various causes of low potassium. Currently dietary guidelines recommend 4.7 grams of potassium each day. Sodium Recommendations The typical American diet contains 3.6 grams of sodium daily. It’s recommended that sodium intake be limited to 2.3 grams or less daily (~1 teaspoon). If you already have high blood pressure you’ll want to restrict your sodium intake even further – less than 1500 mg/day. (More recent research is recommending even greater restriction be applied to a wider population.) Sources of potassium Your potassium intake is linked to your intake of fruits and vegetables. Some good potassium sources include bananas, potatoes, cantaloupe, dates, nuts, legumes, oranges, cantaloupe, and green leafy vegetables. Risk of too much potassium If you have kidney issues then too much potassium may be harmful. Also, there are diuretics that are “potassium sparing”, which means you may need to be cautious about your potassium intake. Then on the other side there are diuretics that increase potassium losses. Speak with your physician. If you take any medication, even over-the-counter, discuss with your physician prior to starting a high-potassium diet.