According to a new study led by Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Ph.D. of Albert Einstein College of Medicine and published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke, a potassium-rich diet could lower the risk of stroke in postmenopausal women. Previous studies have come to the conclusion that potassium consumption could help lower blood pressure.
The study took place over 11 years observing over 90,000 postmenopausal women between the ages of 50 and 79 and their potassium intake. While at the start of the study, none of the women had experienced a stroke, the women involved in the study with the highest potassium had a 12 per cent lower risk of stroke than those with less potassium in their diets. Patients with a normal blood pressure who were not taking medication for hypertension had a 21 per cent lower risk of stroke. For women with high blood pressure and taking medication for hypertension, having a diet high in potassium did not reduce the risk of stroke.
“Fruits and vegetables are good sources of potassium, and potassium not only lowers postmenopausal women’s risk of stroke, but also death,” Dr. Wassertheil-Smoller told CTV News. “Our findings suggest women need to eat more potassium-rich foods… Some foods high in potassium include white and sweet potatoes, bananas and white beans.”
Dr. Wassertheil-Smoller also warns that too much potassium can be dangerous for the heart. The recommended daily potassium intake is 4,700 mg, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
