* Potassium can help reduce blood pressure and stroke risk.

A new systematic review and meta-analysis examines the relationship between higher potassium intake and cardiovascular risk factors and disease. The review included 22 randomized controlled trials involving a total of 1,606 adults; 11 cohort studies involving 127,038 adults; and three controlled trials and one cohort study in children.

Of the 22 controlled trials in adults, 21 evaluated blood pressure, and the results showed reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure with higher potassium intake. The three studies in adults without hypertension showed no such reduction, although the authors note that all three were relatively short in duration and may not have allowed enough time for an effect to be seen.

Nine of the cohort studies in adults showed an inverse correlation between greater potassium intake and the risk of incident stroke but not the risks of cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease. Studies reported no adverse effects of greater potassium intake on renal function, lipid levels, or catecholamine concentrations.

The three controlled trials in children showed that greater potassium intake was nonsignificantly associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The seven-year cohort study demonstrated that as potassium intake increased, blood pressure decreased.

The authors conclude that a potassium intake of 90 to 120 mmol per day reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the risk of incident stroke in adults with normal renal function. The benefits were seen whether potassium intake was increased through dietary changes or supplements.

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