If you suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension), lowering your sodium intake can help lower your numbers. However, did you know that potassium can also benefit your heart health?
You are less likely to suffer from stroke, heart attack, heart disease, or heart failure if you consume more potassium. A study from the Netherlands found that women with the highest sodium intake are most likely to experience this positive effect.
Maria Carolina Delgado-Lelievre, M.D., a cardiologist at the University of Miami Health System who specializes in preventive cardiology, explains the importance of potassium to UHealth Collective. First to demonstrate how intracellular potassium is a genetic marker for hypertension, her research on potassium and hypertension broke new ground.
“Potassium is an essential element in the function of all of our cells, especially those responsible for cardiovascular health,” she says.
“More than 95% of the total body potassium is inside the cell. In both men and women, potassium contributes to normal cell function, especially cells involved in blood pressure control.”
The lining of blood vessels (endothelium) malfunctions when potassium levels in the cells are low, leading to abnormal blood pressure and an increased risk for arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) and strokes. Men and women with hypertension are commonly affected by potassium depletion.
There are many factors that can contribute to this nutrient deficiency, such as genetics, diet, medications, and hormone imbalance (perimenopause and menopause).
Women’s estrogen levels decline as they age and go through menopause. Hypertension and cardiovascular disease are more likely to occur as a result of this change.
“To help reduce blood pressure, we need to both consume more potassium and decrease our salt intake”
Maria Carolina Delgado-Lelievre, M.D., University of Miami Health System
“Because low natural estrogen levels impair vascular function, many women will realize they are hypertensive during perimenopause and menopause,” Dr. Delgado-Lelievre says.
“If a woman in this condition also has potassium depletion, the added effect on blood vessel function is exponentially worse compared to men their age. This is why increasing potassium intake can improve vascular function, especially in menopausal women.”
“The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines place great emphasis on dietary potassium intake, recommending increased intake of dietary potassium (3,500 to 5,000 milligrams per day),” says Dr. Delgado-Lelievre.
“It is extremely important for cardiologists and general physicians to inform patients that keeping healthy body potassium content is essential for normal vascular function, better blood pressure control, and the prevention of cardiovascular disease.”
“To help reduce blood pressure, we need to both consume more potassium and decrease our salt intake,” she says.
“The ACC/AHA guidelines recommend a healthy dietary plan with a reduction in dietary sodium (<1,500 milligrams per day or at least a 1,000 mg/d reduction) plus an increased intake of dietary potassium (3,500 to 5,000 mg/d).”
