A Nestlé study suggests that increasing dietary intake of potassium to the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended level of at least 3.51 grams per day could help to reduce blood pressure in people not taking medicine for hypertension, and may be a cost-effective means of delaying its onset or mitigating its severity (pdf, 1Mb).
In the new study, published in the Journal of Hypertension, scientists at the Nestle Research Center (NRC) in Lausanne, Switzerland examined 15 existing studies on the effects of potassium supplementation on people with either normal or high blood pressure who were not taking medication for the condition.
The researchers believe their study is the first to systematically address whether people not taking drugs to treat hypertension could benefit from increased dietary potassium intake, and conclude that people with high blood pressure who also decrease their sodium (salt) intake may do so.
People can increase their potassium intake by eating more fruits, vegetables, pulses and nuts, the scientists add, while fortifying foods with potassium irrespective of sodium content could also be effective.