POTASSIUM RICH FOODS CUT STROKE, DEATH RISKS AMONG OLDER WOMEN
Postmenopausal women
who eat foods higher in potassium are less likely to have strokes and die than
women who eat less potassium-rich foods, according to new research in the
American Heart Association's journal Stroke.
"Previous studies
have shown that potassium consumption may lower blood pressure. But whether
potassium intake could prevent stroke or death wasn't clear," said Sylvia
Wassertheil-Smoller, Ph.D., study senior author and distinguished university
professor emerita, department of epidemiology and population health at Albert
Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY.
"Our findings
give women another reason to eat their fruits and vegetables. Fruits and
vegetables are good sources of potassium, and potassium not only lowers
postmenopausal women's risk of stroke, but also death."
Researchers studied
90,137 postmenopausal women, ages 50 to 79, for an average 11 years. They
looked at how much potassium the women consumed, as well as if they had
strokes, including ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, or died during the study
period. Women in the study were stroke-free at the start and their average
dietary potassium intake was 2,611 mg/day. Results of this study are based on
potassium from food, not supplements.
The researchers found:
Women who ate the most
potassium were 12 percent less likely to suffer stroke in general and 16
percent less likely to suffer an ischemic stroke than women who ate the least.
Women who ate the most
potassium were 10 percent less likely to die than those who ate the least.
Among women who did
not have hypertension (whose blood pressure was normal and they were not on any
medications for high blood pressure), those who ate the most potassium had a 27
percent lower ischemic stroke risk and 21 percent reduced risk for all stroke
types, compared to women who ate the least potassium in their daily diets.
Among women with
hypertension (whose blood pressure was high or they were taking drugs for high
blood pressure), those who ate the most potassium had a lower risk of death,
but potassium intake did not lower their stroke risk.
Researchers suggested
that higher dietary potassium intake may be more beneficial before high blood
pressure develops. They also said there was no evidence of any association
between potassium intake and hemorrhagic stroke, which could be related to the
low number of hemorrhagic strokes in the study.
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture recommends that women eat at least 4,700 mg of potassium daily.
"Only 2.8 percent of women in our study met or exceeded this level. The
World Health Organization's daily potassium recommendation for women is lower,
at 3,510 mg or more. Still, only 16.6 percent of women we studied met or
exceeded that," said Wassertheil-Smoller.
"Our findings
suggest that women need to eat more potassium-rich foods. You won't find high
potassium in junk food. Some foods high in potassium include white and sweet
potatoes, bananas and white beans."
While increasing
potassium intake is probably a good idea for most older women, there are some
people who have too much potassium in their blood, which can be dangerous to
the heart. "People should check with their doctor about how much potassium
they should eat," she said.
The study was
observational and included only postmenopausal women. Researchers also did not
take sodium intake into consideration, so the potential importance of a balance
between sodium and potassium is not among the findings. Researchers said more
studies are needed to determine whether potassium has the same effects on men
and younger people.
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