Lower Blood Pressure with Potassium
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.
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.
How Much Potassium?
Currently dietary guidelines recommend 4.7 grams of potassium each day. Many Americans are deficient on potassium intake with various causes of low potassium.
Sources of potassium
Some good potassium sources include bananas, potatoes, cantaloupe, dates, nuts, legumes, oranges, cantaloupe, and green leafy vegetables.
Your potassium intake is linked to your intake of fruits and vegetables. For cultures with a high intake of fruits and vegetables the risk of high blood pressure is very low at ~1% of the total population.
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 discuss with your physician prior to starting a high-potassium diet.
If you are unsure what diet changes will promote a lower blood pressure check out “Heart Health Made Easy: Master the Basics to Lower Blood Pressure and Cholesterol for a Longer, Healthier Life” at https://lisanelsonrd.com/behearthealthy.html.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
https://lisanelsonrd.com
Image courtesy of SOMMAI / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
