A new study found that higher potassium intake may lower the risks of stroke and early death on postmenopausal women by as much as 12 percent.
According to WebMD, potassium is an important mineral for heart, kidneys and other organs. However, most Americans fail to consume the recommended amount of potassium. Reduced intake increases one's risk to blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, cancer, digestive disorders, and infertility. There are potassium supplements available, but it is also available in natural foods such as bananas, avocados, nuts, milk, and some fruits and vegetables.
The new study conducted by researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City looked at the potassium intake of 90,000 women aged 50 to 79. The average potassium intake of these postmenopausal women is 2,600 mg a day. The lowest is 1,925 mg while the highest is 3,194 mg per day. However, none of them was able to meet the ideal intake of 4,700 mg per day recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study aimed to determine if potassium intake directly affects older women's risk to early death and stroke.
After 11 years of follow-up period, the researchers determined that women with high potassium intake showed a 10 percent lowered risk on early death and 12 percent less probability to experience stroke, compared to those who consumed less than the average.
The risk of ischemic stroke, the type that causes a blockage in the brain's blood vessels, was also reduced by 16 percent for women who had the most consumption of potassium.
"Potassium may play a role in improving blood vessel function in our brains. This could allow better oxygenation of our brain tissue, and prevent tissue death that occurs from lack of oxygen to the brain," study lead author Arjun Seth, a medical student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, told Healthday News.
The researchers admitted that further study is needed to fully establish if potassium is the sole cause of the lowered risk or if it is due to the change in the overall diet.
Further details of the study were published in the Sept.5 issue of Stroke.
