Â̾ÞÈËÊÓƵ

Understanding the benefits of potassium

Foods rich in potassium are important in managing high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Potassium can reduce the effects of sodium.  Too much sodium has been shown to increase blood pressure. The more potassium you eat, the more sodium you lose through urine. Potassium also helps to ease tension in your blood vessel walls, which also helps lower blood pressure.

Adults with elevated blood pressure (120/80 mm Hg or higher) or high blood pressure (130/80 mm Hg or higher) who are otherwise healthy may benefit from increasing potassium in their diet. Potassium can be harmful in people with:

• Kidney disease
• Any condition that affects how the body handles potassium
• Certain medications

Ask your health care professional if you should eat more potassium.

Learn how to reduce the sodium in your diet. You should also add other healthy eating and lifestyle habits.

Potassium and your diet

If you are trying to prevent or treat high blood pressure, the AHA recommends 3,500 mg to 5,000 mg of potassium daily, ideally from diet. For some adults, a health care professional may recommend moderate-dose potassium supplements (<80 mmol per day) if diet is not enough.

The DASH eating plan includes good sources of potassium. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This eating plan includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy foods and fish. For example, a medium banana has about 451 milligrams of potassium and half a cup of plain cooked sweet potatoes has 286 mg. You can  for potassium-rich ingredients.

Potassium-Based Salt Substitutes

Using potassium-based salt substitutes can be another way to lower sodium intake and help prevent or treat elevated or high blood pressure. This is true especially if most of your salt comes from home-cooked or home-seasoned food.

Check with your health care professional before using, especially if you have kidney disease or take medicines that affect potassium.

Potassium-Rich Foods

Other potassium-rich foods include:

• Fruits
  • Apricots
  • Cantaloupe
  • Durian
  • Guava
  • Jackfruit
  • Kiwifruit
  • Orange juice
  • Pomegranate juice
  • Prune juice
• Vegetables
  • Acorn squash
  • Bamboo shoots
  • Beet greens
  • Carrot juice
  • Fufu
  • Lima beans
  • Plantains
  • Potato
  • Spinach
  • Swiss chard
  • Water chestnuts
  • Yam
• Dairy
  • Buttermilk (low fat)
  • Kefir
  • Milk (fat free)
  • Yogurt (Greek and plain)
• Proteins
  • Bison
  • Catfish
  • Clams
  • Goat
  • Herring
  • Rainbow trout
  • Skipjack tuna
  • Tempeh 

Can you have too much potassium?

Eating too much potassium can be harmful in people with kidney problems. Too much potassium can build up when your kidneys are less able to remove it from your blood. Too much potassium can also be harmful in people that take certain medications or have certain medical conditions that affect potassium.

Potassium levels often must be very high before symptoms occur. Symptoms could include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Irregular heart rate
• Fainting
• Muscle weakness

Check with a health care professional before taking an over-the-counter potassium supplement. Also ask before trying salt substitutes. They can raise potassium too much in people with some health conditions and taking some medications.

• Get a fact sheet on following a heart-healthy diet: English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)