Healthnotes Newswire —People eating a diet low in potassium are more likely than the general population to suffer a stroke, according to a study published this month in the journal Stroke.¹

In this study, 9,805 American men and women were interviewed about their dietary habits and then followed for an average of 19 years. A total of 927 strokes occurred in the study population over this period.

The authors found that people whose diets contained the least amount of potassium were 28% more likely to experience a stroke than those with a greater intake of the mineral. The amount of dietary potassium in the group with increased stroke risk was roughly equivalent to 1,300 milligrams or less per day. That amount of potassium can be found in three bananas, three glasses of milk, or about one and one-half medium-sized potatoes.

Potassium is essential for regulation of fluid balance, blood pressure, and nerve and muscle function. The best food sources of potassium include fruits, vegetables, beans, and dairy products. Patients on certain heart medications or with kidney disease should talk to their doctor before increasing dietary potassium.

Due to the design of the study, it is not clear whether the protective factor in the high-potassium diet is entirely the potassium or whether some other unidentified component is protective as well. Diets high in potassium also tend to be high in fiber, calcium, fruits, vegetables, and vitamin C, all of which may also be partially responsible for the findings of this study.

Regardless of which component of the diet is most protective, the results of this study indicate that a diet containing high amounts of fruits, vegetables, and grains may be beneficial in the prevention of stroke. Further studies will be necessary to identify the most important components of this diet.