New research suggests boosting potassium is key for blood pressure control

Whereas decreasing salt consumption has been the main target of dietary recommendation to manage hypertension (hypertension), a brand new research means that upping your potassium consumption could be not less than as vital.

The brand new analysis, published today (Feb. 21) within the Journal of Human Hypertension, gives perception into the central function of potassium in managing a situation that kills greater than 11 million individuals yearly.

Lead creator Dr. Liping Huang, Analysis Fellow at The George Institute, stated that the results on blood strain of each dietary sodium and dietary potassium have each been identified for a very long time. However solely with current work on potassium-enriched salt substitutes has the massive potential for rising dietary potassium turn out to be a spotlight.

“Excessive ranges of sodium consumption and low ranges of potassium consumption are widespread, and each are linked to hypertension and higher danger of stroke, coronary heart illness and untimely loss of life,” she stated.

“Utilizing a salt substitute the place a part of the sodium chloride is changed with potassium chloride addresses each issues directly. However the relative contributions of sodium discount versus potassium supplementation weren’t nicely understood.”

Researchers analyzed knowledge from The George Institute’s large-scale randomized trial, the Salt Substitute and Stroke Examine (SSaSS), which concerned 20,995 members adopted for 5 years. The research confirmed clear reductions within the danger of stroke (14%), main cardiovascular occasions (13%) and untimely loss of life (12%) from switching common salt for potassium-enriched salt.

The researchers primarily based their analyses on the “gold customary” measure of sodium and potassium within the urine of trial members. These knowledge had been mixed with different exterior knowledge sources that describe the dose-response relationships between adjustments in sodium, potassium and blood strain. They used a variety of various knowledge units and totally different strategies to double-check their findings.

They discovered that the supplementary potassium accounted for between 61% and 88% of the blood strain reducing results recorded within the trial. In each case, the outcomes indicated that almost all of the blood strain fall was attributable to the rise in dietary potassium reasonably than the autumn in dietary sodium.

“We have now all the time identified that potassium has a task to play in blood strain management, however till we did these analyses, we did not notice simply how vital it might be,” Dr. Huang stated. “The findings on this research could also be significantly pronounced as a result of individuals began at low ranges of potassium consumption, however there are most likely billions of individuals world wide with comparable consumption ranges,” she added.

Potassium is a vital mineral present in quite a lot of complete meals, together with legumes, nuts, leafy inexperienced greens and fruits resembling bananas, kiwis and dates. Excessive ranges of potassium are one of many causes recent vegatables and fruits are so good for you. Meals processing tends to cut back the quantity of potassium in merchandise, and it’s usually changed by sodium—a less expensive ingredient.

Present dietary pointers advocate a potassium consumption of greater than 3.5 g/day, however a recent study discovered international imply potassium consumption was simply 2.25 g/day, with solely 35% of the worldwide inhabitants estimated to realize this goal. It additionally confirmed that not one of the included 52 international locations reported mixed intakes of sodium and potassium that met World Well being Group targets.

Dr. Huang stated that the variety of individuals residing with hypertension had doubled up to now 30 years to about 1.3 billion and it kills round 20 individuals each minute.

“Individuals discover it laborious to stay to dietary adjustments beneficial to cut back sodium and improve potassium,” she stated.

“Salt substitutes are significantly attention-grabbing on this regard, as a result of most individuals could make the swap to potassium-enriched salt with out a lot problem—in our SSaSS trial greater than 90% of members assigned to make use of the salt substitute had been nonetheless utilizing it 5 years on.”

“With potassium-enriched salt substitutes, we’ve got a extremely possible and low-cost alternative to generate a large international well being profit,” Dr. Huang added.

The burden of the proof has prompted a name to incorporate suggestions on low-sodium potassium-enriched salt in hypertension remedy guidelines revealed by a world group of specialists final month within the journal Hypertension.