People who eat lots of high potassium fruits, vegetables and dairy products may be less likely to suffer a stroke than those who got a bit of mineral, according to a study.
The findings are reported in the journal Stroke, derived from an analysis of 10 international studies involving more than 200,000 middle-aged and older adults.
Across those studies, the risk of stroke reported a dip as the potassium intake of people up, with each increase of 1,000 milligrams (mg) of potassium each day leading to a reduction in the chances of suffering a stroke in the next five to 14 years by 11 percent.
“Dietary potassium intake was inversely associated with stroke risk,” wrote lead researcher Susanna Larsson of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.
He added that these findings do not prove that potassium itself is what produces positive effects, but they strengthen the evidence that it is possible.
Due to the high potassium is generally healthy foods – including beans, various fruits and vegetables, and low-fat milk – the findings offer another reason for people to eat more of them, Larsson told Reuters Health in an email.
Potassium is an electrolyte needed to maintain body fluid balance, and is also involved in nerve and muscle control, and blood pressure regulation. Studies have suggested that diets high in potassium help maintain healthy blood pressure and may protect against heart disease and stroke.
Of the nearly 270,000 people Larsson and his colleagues included in their study, 8695 – or about one in 30 – suffer from a stroke. But, the reduction in stroke risk seen with each increase of 1,000 mg of potassium daily to factors such as age, exercise and smoking habits into account.
Potassium is specifically associated with a reduced risk of ischemic stroke, caused by blockages in the arteries feed the brain, which reaches about 80 percent of strokes.
These minerals are not related, though, to lower the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when there is bleeding in the brain. Larsson said it was unclear why, noting that only a few studies broken into subtypes of stroke.
If potassium protects against ischemic stroke only, that would suggest any other reason than the control blood pressure better, researchers say.
These findings are consistent with a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which followed more than 12,000 adults over 15 years.
The researchers found that people who fall a lot of sodium potassium, but were slightly more likely to die from any cause during the study period.
Potassium helps balance the effects of sodium, keeping blood pressure down and help the body excrete excess fluids. So the combination of too much sodium and also little potassium can be very dangerous – a combination which is common in the U.S. diet, with about 90 percent of people get more sodium than recommended.
According to the CDC, the average adult should get no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day, with some – people over 50, African Americans, and people with high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease – are advised to limit to 1,500 mg a day.
As for potassium, the CDC recommends adults to get 4700 mg a day of food. However, people with kidney disease and those on certain blood pressure medications should be careful about it.
