Health Benefits of Potassium-Rich Foods for Older Women
A new study shows the various health benefits of potassium-rich foods for older women. Potassium is known to reduce high blood pressure but whether it would also reduce the risk of stroke was not clear.
Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, studied over 90,000 postmenopausal women and their intake of potassium and stroke incidence over 11 years. The US Food and Drug Administration recommends a daily potassium intake of 4,700 mg. Participants who had the highest intake of potassium reduced their risk of stroke by 12% than those whose intake was the lowest. Those who had normal blood pressure reduced their stroke risk by 21%. However, a potassium-rich diet didn’t seem to make any difference in stroke risk in those who had high blood pressure and were taking medications for it.
Researchers say that potassium may be more helpful before the onset of hypertension. Potassium-rich foods include bananas, white and sweet potatoes and white beans. They also point out the need for more research that accounts for sodium intake as well, as the balance between sodium and potassium is important. More ….
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