Many people know that eating too much salt is not good for your health. Salt, which is found in many common foods like bread, chips, and processed meats, can raise your blood pressure.
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is one of the main causes of heart attacks and strokes. It damages the blood vessels and forces the heart to work harder. Over time, this puts people at a higher risk of serious heart problems and even early death.
But a new study from Amsterdam University has found that there’s a simple way to fight the harmful effects of salt: eat more potassium. Potassium is a mineral that helps balance the effects of salt in the body. It works by helping the body get rid of extra sodium (the main part of salt) through urine. This helps lower blood pressure and protects the heart.
Potassium is found in many healthy foods, such as bananas, avocados, potatoes, milk, salmon, beans, and leafy greens. For example, a banana has about 375 milligrams of potassium. A medium potato has about 500 milligrams.
A serving of cooked salmon gives you about 780 milligrams, and a cup of milk has around 375 milligrams. These foods are not only rich in potassium, but they are also usually low in salt, which makes them especially good for heart health.
The study looked at the diets and health outcomes of more than 24,000 people between the ages of 40 and 79. Researchers followed these people for nearly 20 years. They found that people who ate more potassium had lower blood pressure overall.
This effect was strongest in women who ate a lot of salt. Even more importantly, those who had the highest potassium intake had a 13% lower risk of being hospitalized or dying from heart-related problems compared to those who ate the least potassium.
Interestingly, the benefits of potassium were seen in people regardless of how much salt they ate. This means that potassium may protect the heart in more than one way—not just by helping remove sodium from the body, but possibly by supporting the health of blood vessels and heart function more broadly.
The World Health Organization recommends that adults eat at least 3.5 grams of potassium each day. It also suggests that sodium intake should be kept below 2 grams per day, which is equal to about 5 grams of salt. Most people eat far more salt than this and far less potassium, especially if they eat a lot of packaged or fast food.
To improve public health, food manufacturers could help by using potassium-based salt instead of regular salt in processed foods.
This could make a big difference since many people get most of their salt from these kinds of foods. Meanwhile, individuals can help themselves by choosing fresh, natural foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and dairy instead of salty snacks or ready-made meals.
In short, this study shows that increasing your potassium intake can help reduce the damage caused by eating too much salt. Adding potassium-rich foods to your daily meals is a simple and effective way to keep your heart healthy. Combined with cutting back on salty foods, this small change can offer big protection for your heart and overall health.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and Vitamin K2 could help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and Vitamin C linked to lower risk of heart failure.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
