Potassium-Rich Diet Against High Blood Pressure

People with elevated blood pressure should limit their salt intake. This is well known. Less known - but equally important - is another mineral: the counterpart of sodium → potassium. The ratio of potassium to sodium should be balanced. However, in the Western diet, sodium (table salt) intake predominates. The important potassium is often insufficiently supplied to the body.

The Role of Potassium and Sodium in the Body

Both minerals play an important role in the body. Potassium is the predominant mineral within body cells. Sodium is mainly found in tissue fluid and blood. Special pumps in the cell membranes maintain this balance. This is particularly important for nerve and muscle cells, but all other body cells also utilize the energy generated from these concentration differences.

Sodium also binds water in the body. Therefore, excessive intake of table salt is also associated with high blood pressure. Potassium, on the other hand, has a blood pressure-lowering effect and is considered particularly important for heart cells. It stabilizes them and is crucial for the formation of electrical impulses (important for conduction in the heart) and thus for the rhythmic activity of the heart. It is also involved in the water-electrolyte balance and promotes greater excretion of sodium through the kidneys. People suffering from kidney disease should therefore not consume too much potassium.

Thus, it is not only sodium in the diet that matters, but rather the ratio between sodium and potassium. With a daily sodium intake of a maximum of 2 g, which corresponds to about 5 g of table salt, the WHO recommends consuming 3.5 g of potassium through food. The Food and Nutrition Board of the USA and Canada goes even further and recommends a daily intake of 4.7 g of potassium through food.

While a largely unprocessed diet used to provide people with 10 g or more of potassium, today only about one-fifth to one-tenth of that is typically consumed daily. At the same time, the sodium content in our mostly processed foods has increased significantly → we consume three to six times as much sodium as potassium. To maintain a balanced ratio, potassium intake should also be increased with increased sodium intake.

A study published in July 2022 showed that especially women who consume a lot of sodium benefit from increased potassium intake.

The European Hypertension Society adopted the recommendation in 2023 to consume 3.5 g of potassium daily, preferably through food, into its guidelines.

It is best achieved through an adjustment of dietary habits. Potassium is primarily found in plant-based foods. Especially legumes, avocados, potatoes, nuts, and similar foods, as well as dried fruits like raisins, apricots, dates, etc., provide you with potassium. Those who use herbs for seasoning instead of table salt save sodium and support their body with an extra portion of potassium.

Supplements like effervescent tablets or similar are usually unnecessary. One should definitely consult their doctor before resorting to them.

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By Sabine Croci. This article is medically reviewed. Last updated (10/2024).
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Potassium-Rich Diet Against High Blood Pressure

The Role of Potassium and Sodium in the Body

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