High blood pressure is a silent condition that sets the stage for grave cardiac events like stroke and heart attack. It is estimated to affect over a quarter of adults in the UK, putting millions in harm’s way. Fortunately, the consumption of certain foods may substantially lower these risks, a new study has confirmed.
The new findings, published in the journal of the European Society of Cardiology, have suggested that women who eat bananas, avocados and salmon can reduce the negative effects of salt in the diet.
Although bananas are touted as one of the top sources of potassium, other good sources include apricots, prunes, orange juices, squash and potatoes.
Study author Professor Liffert Vogt of Amsterdam University Medical Centres, in the Netherlands, said: “Health advice has focused on limiting salt intake but this is difficult to achieve when our diets include processed foods.
“Potassium helps the body excrete more sodium in the urine. In our study, dietary potassium was linked with the greatest health gains in women.”
For the study of more than 24,000 patients, aged around 59 years old, volunteers were asked to fill out questionnaires assessing lifestyle habits.
Blood pressure was thereafter measured and blood samples were collected to help estimate dietary intake of sodium and potassium.
