If you have high blood pressure, chances are your doctor will do two things:
- Tell you to cut salt.
- Put you on a blood pressure drug.
The problem with reducing salt is that it tastes good. We feel like we are depriving ourselves when our food is bland. Many people find it hard to stay on a low-sodium diet.
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And the problem with blood pressure medications is that they are notorious for causing side effects. The British Medical Journal reports that 97% of people taking hypertension drugs have suffered side effects from them.1
They can cause constipation, headaches, and drowsiness. Even worse, some are linked to cancer. Others have been tied to dementia.
Now, a new study finds there’s a better way to lower your blood pressure.2
Recommended for You: The 5 Deadly Heart Attack Triggers
You, me, our families, are doing three of these things every single day. And any one of them could be the spark that causes a fatal or debilitating heart attack or stroke.
Nobody else is reporting this. It’s not on the news. The American Heart Association won’t tell you. Not even your doctor is up-to-date on it. The mainstream’s advice is even part of the problem. Go HERE to discover the 5 true heart attack triggers. Prepare to be shocked.
Researchers at the University of Southern California did a massive review of studies on dietary potassium and sodium intake and their effect on blood pressure.
They found that eating foods high in potassium lowers blood pressure. What’s more, it does so whether you eat a lot or little salt.3
Alicia McDonough is a professor of cell and neurobiology at USC. She is the lead author of the review.
“If you eat a typical Western diet,” McDonough says, “your sodium intake is high and your potassium intake is low. This significantly increases your chances of developing high blood pressure.
“Decreasing sodium intake is a well-established way to lower blood pressure, but evidence suggests that increasing dietary potassium may have an equally important effect on hypertension.”4
The Cavemen Had It Right
Professor McDonough explained that the role of potassium in controlling blood pressure is tied to our primitive ancestors. Their diets were high in fruits and vegetables—all high in potassium and low in sodium. Our bodies evolved to function optimally with relatively high potassium and low sodium.
When the body is low in potassium, it uses sodium retention to attempt to hold onto the little potassium present, Professor McDonough says. Eating more potassium allows your body to excrete sodium, and your blood pressure drops, she says. When you eat more potassium, you are essentially putting yourself on a low-sodium diet.
Professor McDonough’s article was published in the April 2017 issue of the American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Eight Potassium-Packed Foods That Lower Blood Pressure
Here are eight foods among the highest in potassium:5
- Avocado, 1 whole: 1,068 mg
- Wild-Caught Salmon, 6 ounces: 1,068 mg
- Spinach, 1 cup: 839 mg
- Sweet potato, 1 medium: 952 mg
- Dried Apricots, ½ cup: 756 mg
- Coconut Water, 1 cup: 600 mg
- Kefir, Yogurt (Make sure you get brands with no sugar added), 1 cup: 579 mg
- Acorn squash, 1 cup: 896 mg
You may be wondering why bananas are not on the list. They are perhaps the food best known to be high in potassium. But one banana contains far less of the mineral than the foods listed above. It has just 422 mg of potassium.
Potassium supplements are another option. But most experts say they should be taken only under a doctor’s supervision. Too much potassium can cause a dangerous condition called hyperkalemia. It can lead to abnormal heart rhythms.6
If you’re concerned about your blood pressure, there’s something else you should know…
Something strange was happening to pilots training to fly F-16 fighter jets.
The ones who went into the program with elevated blood pressure were coming out a few weeks later with normal, healthy readings. They didn’t take any medications… Their diets stayed the same… And they didn’t make any changes to their exercise regimens.
Go HERE to discover their secret.
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References:
1https://www.stress.org/stress-and-hypertension-part-1/
2http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/312/4/E348
3http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/312/4/E348
4https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-04-fruits-vegetables-latest-superpower-lowering.html
5http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20721159,00.html#sweet-potatoes-0
6http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/should-i-take-a-potassium-supplement