What Is Potassium Good For Your Body – If you’re an adult living in the U.S., there’s almost a one in two chance you have high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association. Nearly half of American adults suffer from this condition, and many don’t even know it.

High blood pressure is a significant risk factor for heart disease and other life-threatening health conditions. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to reduce your chances of developing the disease known as the “silent killer.”

What Is Potassium Good For Your Body

Increasing potassium-rich choices in your diet is an easy addition to your heart-healthy strategy. Fruits like bananas and vegetables like spinach are the best sources of this mineral, but potassium is also found in dairy products, fish, meat and whole grains.

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Want to add more potassium to your diet? Here are five foods to get you off to a good start. Pleasant!

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About the Author The Providence Heart & Vascular team is dedicated to bringing you years of expertise and experience to help you understand how to prevent, treat and recover from cardiovascular diseases and conditions. From advice to better nutrition to exercise and everything in between, our clinical experts know how to help you help your heart. More content from the Providence Heart & Vascular Team

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Potassium is necessary for the normal functioning of all cells. It regulates the work of the heart, ensures the proper function of muscles and nerves, and is of vital importance for protein synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism.

Several thousand years ago, when people roamed the earth gathering and hunting, potassium was abundant in the diet, while sodium was scarce. The so-called Paleolithic diet supplied about 16 times more potassium than sodium. Today, most Americans consume barely half of the recommended amount of potassium in their diets. The average American diet contains about twice as much sodium as potassium, due to the preponderance of salt hidden in processed or prepared foods, not to mention the lack of potassium in those foods. This imbalance, which runs counter to how humans evolved, is thought to be a major contributor to high blood pressure, which affects one in three American adults.

An adequate recommendation for potassium intake is 4700 mg. Bananas are often touted as a good source of potassium, but other fruits (such as apricots, prunes, and orange juice) and vegetables (such as squash and potatoes) also contain this often-overlooked nutrient.

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Diets that emphasize higher potassium intake can help keep blood pressure in the y range, compared to diets that are poor in potassium. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) trial compared three regimens. A standard diet, close to what many Americans eat, contained an average of 3.5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, which provided 1,700 mg of potassium per day. There were two comparison diets: a diet rich in fruits and vegetables that included an average of 8.5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, providing 4100 mg of potassium per day, and a “combination” diet that included the same 8.5 servings of fruits and vegetables plus low-fat dairy products and reduced sugar and red meat. In people with normal blood pressure, a diet high in fruits and vegetables lowered blood pressure by 2.8 mm Hg (in systolic reading) and 1.1 mm Hg (in diastolic reading) more than the standard diet. The combination diet lowered blood pressure by 5.5 mm Hg and 3.0 mm Hg more than the standard diet. In people with high blood pressure, the combined diet reduced blood pressure even more, by as much as 11 mm Hg in systolic and 5.5 mm Hg in diastolic.

High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for stroke, so it’s no surprise that higher potassium levels are associated with a lower incidence of stroke. One prospective study that followed more than 43,000 men for eight years found that men who consumed the highest amounts of dietary potassium (a median of 4,300 mg per day) were 38% less likely to have a stroke than those whose median intake was is only 2400 mg per day. However, a similar prospective study that followed more than 85,000 women for 14 years found a more modest association between potassium intake and stroke risk. Additional research has largely confirmed these findings, with the strongest evidence supporting high dietary potassium observed in people with high blood pressure and in blacks, who are more prone to high blood pressure than whites.

To learn more about the vitamins and minerals you need to stay y, read Making Sense of Vitamins and Minerals, a special report from Harvard Medical School.

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Get helpful tips and guidance on everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best weight loss diets…from core-building exercises to cataract treatment tips. PLUS, the latest news on medical advances and discoveries from experts at Harvard Medical School. Potassium, an alkali metal, is a highly reactive element necessary for the proper health and functioning of the human body. The human body needs potassium because it acts as an electrolyte and helps conduct electrical charges. In addition to conducting electrical charges, potassium also helps promote cardiovascular health by reducing the chance of stroke. It helps lower or control high blood pressure and is important for bone health. Bone formation can be effectively increased by a balanced diet rich in potassium.

Potassium is one important mineral that is considered necessary for an individual’s life. It is one of the most important minerals needed for the proper functioning of the kidneys, heart and other important organs in the body. It is one of the seven important macrominerals which include magnesium, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, sulfur and chloride. The human body needs at least 100 milligrams of potassium on a regular basis to maintain important bodily processes. Consuming potassium in large amounts can help reduce the risk of lower blood pressure, stroke, muscle loss, reduce the formation of kidney stones and preserve bone mineral density. The primary function of potassium in the human body is to regulate fluid balance while controlling the electrical activity of the heart and other muscles. Potassium is basically an electrolyte that counteracts the effects of sodium while maintaining the acid-base balance of the human body.

Potassium should be one of the most important parts of a balanced and nutritious diet. Citrus fruits, cereals and vegetables are the most important sources of potassium. It is also possible to get good amounts of potassium from chicken, salmon, fresh fruit juices, almonds and whole milk. Lime seeds, nuts, poultry and potatoes also contain potassium. However, the most important dietary sources of potassium are coconut water, avocados and bananas. It is important to keep in mind that cooking processes, such as boiling, can destroy the potassium content of foods.

Putting Potassium In Perspective

Potassium plays an important role in the normal functioning of the human brain. A high level of potassium means that more oxygen reaches the brain, which further stimulates nerve activity and increases cognitive functions. Bananas are rich in potassium and that is the only reason why they are called brain food. Strokes are also largely preventable by having

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