Salt is a common part of our daily meals, but it has a downside: it can raise blood pressure and harm heart health. Eating too much salt is linked to hypertension, which is a major cause of heart disease and strokes.
But there’s some good news—a study from Amsterdam University suggests that eating more potassium could help counteract the negative effects of salt.
Potassium is a mineral that helps balance the amount of sodium in our bodies. Foods rich in potassium, like bananas, avocados, potatoes, and salmon, can help manage blood pressure by helping the body get rid of extra sodium through urine.
The Amsterdam study involved over 24,000 people, aged 40 to 79, and focused on the benefits of potassium, especially for women who eat a lot of salt. The researchers found that people who ate more potassium had lower blood pressure, particularly women with high salt intake.
Potassium’s role in the body is to help the kidneys remove extra sodium. When sodium levels are high, it can lead to water retention, increasing blood pressure because there’s more fluid for the heart to pump.
Potassium helps flush out this extra sodium, easing the pressure on the heart and blood vessels.
During the study, which lasted almost 20 years, more than half of the participants were either hospitalized or died from heart-related issues. But those who consumed the most potassium had a 13% lower risk of these events compared to those who consumed the least.
Interestingly, the protective effects of potassium were seen even in people who didn’t reduce their salt intake. This suggests that potassium offers heart protection beyond just helping to get rid of sodium.
To keep your heart healthy, it’s important to get enough potassium every day. The World Health Organization recommends that adults should eat at least 3.5 grams of potassium daily.
At the same time, it’s wise to keep sodium intake below 2 grams a day, which is about 5 grams of salt.
You can find potassium in many common foods. For example, a medium banana has about 375 mg of potassium, a serving of cooked salmon provides around 780 mg, a potato offers about 500 mg, and a cup of milk contains around 375 mg.
Eating a variety of these foods can help you reach the recommended potassium levels.
Food companies can also help by replacing regular salt with potassium-based salts in processed foods. This simple change can help reduce the amount of sodium people eat while boosting their potassium intake.
Choosing fresh, unprocessed foods is another way to keep your heart healthy. These foods are naturally high in potassium and low in salt, making them a great choice for anyone looking to improve their heart health.
The Amsterdam study highlights how important potassium is for protecting your heart, especially if you eat a lot of salt. By including more potassium-rich foods in your diet and cutting back on salty foods, you can take a big step toward a healthier heart.
This approach offers a simple and effective way to reduce the risk of heart disease and maintain overall well-being.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and coconut sugar could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies about added sugar in your diet linked to higher blood pressure, and results showing plant-based foods could benefit people with high blood pressure.
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