High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is one of the most common health problems worldwide.
It often causes no clear symptoms, but over time it can damage blood vessels and raise the risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and other serious conditions.
Most people have heard that eating too much salt can raise blood pressure. But another part of the diet also matters: getting enough potassium.
Potassium is an essential mineral that the body needs every day. It helps nerves and muscles work normally, supports a steady heartbeat, and helps control the balance of fluid inside and outside cells.
It also plays an important role in blood pressure. Potassium helps the walls of blood vessels relax, allowing blood to move through them more easily and reducing pressure on the arteries.
Potassium can also help counter some of the effects of sodium, the main mineral in salt. Eating too much sodium can cause the body to hold extra fluid, which may increase the amount of pressure inside blood vessels.
When people get enough potassium, the kidneys can remove more sodium through urine. This relationship between potassium and sodium is one reason experts often recommend a diet rich in fruits and vegetables for people trying to control their blood pressure.
Research supports this advice. Scientific reviews and clinical studies have found that increasing potassium intake can reduce blood pressure, particularly in people who have hypertension or consume a high-sodium diet.
One major review published in The BMJ found that higher potassium intake reduced blood pressure in adults with hypertension and was associated with a lower risk of stroke. Other research has also shown that relatively small reductions in blood pressure across a population can translate into meaningful reductions in heart attacks and strokes.
For most healthy people, food is the best way to get more potassium. Bananas are well known for containing potassium, but they are far from the only source.
Potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, beans, lentils, spinach and other leafy vegetables can provide substantial amounts. Oranges and other fruits, dairy foods, fish, nuts, and seeds can also contribute potassium to the diet.
These foods have another advantage because many contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that support heart health. A diet built around a variety of minimally processed foods can therefore improve nutrition in several ways at the same time.
However, more potassium is not always better. Healthy kidneys normally remove extra potassium from the blood, but people with reduced kidney function may have difficulty getting rid of it.
Very high potassium levels in the blood can interfere with the heart’s normal rhythm and can become dangerous. Some medicines, including certain drugs used for high blood pressure and heart disease, can also increase potassium levels.
For this reason, people with kidney disease or those taking medicines that affect potassium should talk with a doctor or pharmacist before using potassium supplements or making major changes to their potassium intake. Supplements are generally not something to start simply because a person has high blood pressure.
Blood pressure control also depends on more than one nutrient. Reducing excess sodium, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, staying physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting excessive alcohol, and taking prescribed medicines when needed can all be important.
Potassium is therefore best seen as one part of a heart-healthy eating pattern rather than a single solution for hypertension. For many people, choosing more naturally potassium-rich foods while cutting back on heavily salted processed foods can be a simple way to support healthier blood pressure.
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