There have been many medical research papers showing a strong improvement in blood pressure, stroke and cardiovascular disease from eating high potassium foods. Recently, one study (1) compiled a group of eleven papers that were done in a high quality manner. The papers compiled were prospective studies with at least 4 years of follow-up. And the study included a total of 247,000 people.
The Study
First, the study looked through over 3200 papers mentioning potassium intake, and stroke or cardiovascular disease. Then it eliminated papers until it found those that were prospective, and that included enough information to evaluate.
Six of the studies were on Americans, and five came from other countries. But none came from the countries that are traditionally those having the highest potassium intake.
The Findings
Subsequently, the papers looked at strokes and cardiovascular events. And the authors correlated these events with potassium intakes. They found those with the highest intakes of potassium had a 21% lower risk of stroke or cardiovascular events.
Additionally, the study was able to correct for some of the other factors influencing strokes and cardiovascular events, such as obesity and hypertension. Consequently, the authors were able to show that potassium had an influence separate from these other factors.
Sodium Not Studied
However, none of the studies in the meta-analysis estimated sodium. So it is impossible to say if changes in sodium intake occurred also. Because of the many studies on sodium showing that a reduction in sodium reduces strokes and cardiovascular disease, it would have been nice to know if it played a role in the present study.
Together with many other basic science and epidemiological studies, the evidence for the benefits of potassium in the diet becomes ever stronger. There are probably multiple mechanisms that potassium uses to improve health. But for those who do not need to restrict potassium, the more foods high in it, the better.
More and more studies are pointing to the advantages of a high potassium diet to reduce blood pressure, stroke and cardiovascular disease. This one was particularly worthwhile because of the quality of the studies it assessed, and the large number of people included in the study.
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1. Potassium intake, stroke, and cardiovascular disease a meta-analysis of prospective studies.D'Elia L, Barba G, Cappuccio FP, Strazzullo P. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011 Mar 8;57(10):1210-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2010.09.070.
