On average, the higher an individual's salt intake, the higher an individual's blood pressure. Nearly all Americans consume substantially more salt than they need. Decreasing salt intake is advisable to reduce the risk of elevated blood pressure. Keeping blood pressure in the normal range reduces an individual's risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease. Many adults will develop hypertension (high blood pressure) during their lifetime. Lifestyle changes can prevent or delay the onset of high blood pressure. These changes include reducing salt intake, increasing potassium intake, losing excess body weight, increasing physical activity, and eating an overall healthy diet.
A sodium-potassium balance is vital to overall health and helps regulate several bodily functions. These minerals work together to regulate nerve impulses, control muscle activity and to maintain normal cardiac function. With a healthy sodium and potassium balance nutrients travel to the cells and waste out of the cells. Too much or too little of either can be harmful.
Research has shown that subjects who ate the highest amount of potassium and the lowest amount of sodium had a 50% reduced risk of developing a heart attack or stroke versus the group that ate the most sodium and the least potassium. No one knows for sure how potassium helps reduce the risk of heart disease, although it is thought that potassium may impair your body’s ability to absorb sodium. So, somewhere along the line of metabolism, there is an interaction between sodium and potassium, and it has been considered that potassium inhibits the absorption of sodium. Therefore, potassium ultimately has a decreasing effect on blood pressure.
This evidence has already been seen put to use in the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. With this diet, the individual is told to reduce sodium intake and add fruits and vegetables (high potassium foods) to their diet. The DASH diet is known to decrease blood pressure in those in need of blood pressure treatment. In addition to giving our bodies potassium, fruits and vegetables are also high in fiber and antioxidants, which are both important in preventing heart disease and cancer.
o The recommended maximum daily intake of sodium for a healthy adult is 2,300 mg (1,500 if you are over 51 years old) but the average adult actually consumes closer to 3,400 mg.
o The recommend daily amount of potassium is 2,000 mg.
o Good Sources of Potassium:
§ Bananas
§ Avocados
§ Dried Fruit
§ Nuts
§ Potatoes
§ Spinach
§ Lima Beans
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