High Potassium Diet Related to Low Risk of Strokes

Tue, 23 Aug 2011

Those whose diets consist of lots of potassium rich fruit, veg and dairy products are less susceptible to strokes than those who have a small amount of this mineral in their diets .

These are the new findings based on ten international studies of 200,000 middle-aged and older adults.

Over the studies, stroke risk dropped as potassium intake increased. For every 1,000-milligram increase in daily potassium intake, the chances of a stroke in the next 5 to 14 years dropped by 11 percent.

High-potassium foods are usually healthy foods, such as, various fruit and veg, beans, as well as low-fat dairy.

Potassium is an electrolyte necessary for the maintenance of the body's fluid balance. Moreover, it is involved in nerve and muscle control as well as blood pressure regulation.

Several studies have intimated that diets which are high in potassium enable healthy blood pressure and possibly protect against heart disease and strokes.

A decrease in risk of strokes was dependent per each 1,000 mg increase in daily potassium. This was taken alongside factors, such as, exercise habits, age and smoking .

Potassium is specifically related to a reduced risk of ischemic strokes, which cause a blockage in an artery which feeds the brain. Such strokes comprise 80 percent of strokes.

The mineral was not related to a lower risk of haemorrhagic stroke, which happens when bleeding occurs in the brain.
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