Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Hypertension?Role of PotassiumHigh-Potassium DietFoods to Eat
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Hypertension?
Role of Potassium
High-Potassium Diet
Foods to Eat
The treatment ofhypertension(high blood pressure) involves more than justantihypertensive drugs. In addition to exercise, maintaining an ideal weight, and quitting cigarettes, diet plays an important role in controlling blood pressure.
While most people are aware that too muchsodiumin the diet can increase blood pressure,many are unaware of how too little of another mineral—potassium—also contributes.
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About Hypertension
Hypertension is one of the most common chronic health conditions in adults. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 49.6% of people in the United States age 20 or over have hypertension.Persistently high blood pressure has serious consequences, leading to an increased risk ofstrokeandheart attack.
In 2017, the very definition of hypertension changed. Where the 2003 guidelines defined it as 140/90 mmHg or higher, the updated guidelines now regard it as 130/80 mmHg or higher.
What Blood Pressure Values Mean
Causes and Risk Factors of Hypertension
Potassium and Hypertension
Electrolytesare minerals such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium. They are present in tissues and bodily fluids and are critical to nerve function, muscle function, fluid regulation, and blood pressure.
While too much sodium in your diet can increase blood pressure, too little potassium can have the same effect. This is due to the effect potassium has on sodium. The more potassium you eat, the more sodium you are able to excrete in urine.
Studies have shown that potassium deficiency not only increases blood pressure but increases the risk of heart attack and stroke as well. Getting enough potassium may have the opposite effect.
The Many Dangers of Low Potassium
Role of High-Potassium Diet
While is it clear that potassium is vital to your good health, what is unclear is whether increasing potassium intake directly correlates to a drop in blood pressure.
Most studies have suggested that an increase in potassium may be beneficial to people with hypertension when combined with a reduction in sodium. The benefits in people without hypertension are unclear, and it is unknown whether eating a high-potassium diet has any preventive benefit with respect to hypertension.
Even so, there is no arguing the fact that meeting the recommended daily intake of potassium while avoiding excess sodium is good for your health. This is where many Americans fall short.
According to a 2012 study published in theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition,only 2% of people in the United States meet their recommended daily intake of potassium.
By contrast, the average daily intake of sodium in the United States is 3,400 milligrams (mg)—far in excess of the 2,300 mg recommended in theDietary Guidelines for Americans.
High-Potassium Foods
Foods high in potassiumthat can help you reach that goal, including:
A Word From Verywell
Coping and Living Well With Hypertension
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Grillo A, Salvi L, Coruzzi P, Salvi P, Parati G.Sodium intake and hypertension.Nutrients.2019;11(9):1970. doi:10.3390/nu11091970National Centers for Health Statistics.Hypertension.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about hypertension.Whedon PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, et al.2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Hypertension. 2018;71(6):1269-1324. doi:10.1161/HYP.0000000000000066American Heart Association.High blood pressure redefined for first time in 14 years: 130 is the new high.Aburto NJ, Hanson S, Gutierrez H, et al.Effect of increased potassium intake on cardiovascular risk factors and disease: systematic review and meta-analyses.BMJ. 2013;346:f1378. doi:10.1136/bmj.f1378.Perez V, Chang EG.Sodium-to-potassium ratio and blood pressure, hypertension, and related factors.Adv Nutr. 2014;5(6):712-41. doi:10.3945/an.114.006783D’Elia L, Barba G, Cappuccio FP, et al.Potassium intake, stroke, and cardiovascular disease a meta-analysis of prospective studies.J Am Coll Cardiol.2011;57(10):1210-9. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2010.09.070.Cogswell ME, Zhang Z, Carriquiry AL, et al.Sodium and potassium intakes among US adults: NHANES 2003–2008.Am J Clin Nutr.2012;96(3):647-57. doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.034413U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Sodium in your diet.Cleveland Clinic.16 Potassium-Rich Foods.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Grillo A, Salvi L, Coruzzi P, Salvi P, Parati G.Sodium intake and hypertension.Nutrients.2019;11(9):1970. doi:10.3390/nu11091970National Centers for Health Statistics.Hypertension.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about hypertension.Whedon PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, et al.2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Hypertension. 2018;71(6):1269-1324. doi:10.1161/HYP.0000000000000066American Heart Association.High blood pressure redefined for first time in 14 years: 130 is the new high.Aburto NJ, Hanson S, Gutierrez H, et al.Effect of increased potassium intake on cardiovascular risk factors and disease: systematic review and meta-analyses.BMJ. 2013;346:f1378. doi:10.1136/bmj.f1378.Perez V, Chang EG.Sodium-to-potassium ratio and blood pressure, hypertension, and related factors.Adv Nutr. 2014;5(6):712-41. doi:10.3945/an.114.006783D’Elia L, Barba G, Cappuccio FP, et al.Potassium intake, stroke, and cardiovascular disease a meta-analysis of prospective studies.J Am Coll Cardiol.2011;57(10):1210-9. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2010.09.070.Cogswell ME, Zhang Z, Carriquiry AL, et al.Sodium and potassium intakes among US adults: NHANES 2003–2008.Am J Clin Nutr.2012;96(3):647-57. doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.034413U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Sodium in your diet.Cleveland Clinic.16 Potassium-Rich Foods.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Grillo A, Salvi L, Coruzzi P, Salvi P, Parati G.Sodium intake and hypertension.Nutrients.2019;11(9):1970. doi:10.3390/nu11091970National Centers for Health Statistics.Hypertension.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about hypertension.Whedon PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, et al.2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Hypertension. 2018;71(6):1269-1324. doi:10.1161/HYP.0000000000000066American Heart Association.High blood pressure redefined for first time in 14 years: 130 is the new high.Aburto NJ, Hanson S, Gutierrez H, et al.Effect of increased potassium intake on cardiovascular risk factors and disease: systematic review and meta-analyses.BMJ. 2013;346:f1378. doi:10.1136/bmj.f1378.Perez V, Chang EG.Sodium-to-potassium ratio and blood pressure, hypertension, and related factors.Adv Nutr. 2014;5(6):712-41. doi:10.3945/an.114.006783D’Elia L, Barba G, Cappuccio FP, et al.Potassium intake, stroke, and cardiovascular disease a meta-analysis of prospective studies.J Am Coll Cardiol.2011;57(10):1210-9. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2010.09.070.Cogswell ME, Zhang Z, Carriquiry AL, et al.Sodium and potassium intakes among US adults: NHANES 2003–2008.Am J Clin Nutr.2012;96(3):647-57. doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.034413U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Sodium in your diet.Cleveland Clinic.16 Potassium-Rich Foods.
Grillo A, Salvi L, Coruzzi P, Salvi P, Parati G.Sodium intake and hypertension.Nutrients.2019;11(9):1970. doi:10.3390/nu11091970
National Centers for Health Statistics.Hypertension.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about hypertension.
Whedon PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, et al.2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Hypertension. 2018;71(6):1269-1324. doi:10.1161/HYP.0000000000000066
American Heart Association.High blood pressure redefined for first time in 14 years: 130 is the new high.
Aburto NJ, Hanson S, Gutierrez H, et al.Effect of increased potassium intake on cardiovascular risk factors and disease: systematic review and meta-analyses.BMJ. 2013;346:f1378. doi:10.1136/bmj.f1378.
Perez V, Chang EG.Sodium-to-potassium ratio and blood pressure, hypertension, and related factors.Adv Nutr. 2014;5(6):712-41. doi:10.3945/an.114.006783
D’Elia L, Barba G, Cappuccio FP, et al.Potassium intake, stroke, and cardiovascular disease a meta-analysis of prospective studies.J Am Coll Cardiol.2011;57(10):1210-9. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2010.09.070.
Cogswell ME, Zhang Z, Carriquiry AL, et al.Sodium and potassium intakes among US adults: NHANES 2003–2008.Am J Clin Nutr.2012;96(3):647-57. doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.034413
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Sodium in your diet.
Cleveland Clinic.16 Potassium-Rich Foods.
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