Avocados and salmon also are high in potassium, helping counteract the negative effects of salt in the diet and lowering blood pressure, researchers said. Other potassium-rich foods include a variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, dairy products and fish.
"It is well known that high salt consumption is associated with elevated blood pressure and a raised risk of heart attacks and strokes," said study author Dr. Liffert Vogt, a professor of clinical nephrology and renal physiology at Amsterdam University Medical Centers in the Netherlands.
"Health advice has focused on limiting salt intake but this is difficult to achieve when our diets include processed foods," he said. "Potassium helps the body excrete more sodium in the urine. In our study, dietary potassium was linked with the greatest health gains in women."
The study included close to 25,000 British men and women between 40 and 79 years of age who were part of a research study between 1993 and 1997. Participants completed questionnaires about their lifestyle habits and their blood pressure and urine samples were analyzed.
Urinary sodium and potassium were used to gauge dietary intake.
The researchers found that as potassium consumption in women went up, blood pressure went down. And as potassium consumption rose, so did women's blood pressure.
Every 1-gram increase in daily potassium was associated with a 2.4 mm Hg lower systolic blood pressure for these women. No link between potassium and blood pressure was found in men.
“Our findings indicate that a heart healthy diet goes beyond limiting salt to boosting potassium content," Vogt said. "Food companies can help by swapping standard sodium-based salt for a potassium salt alternative in processed foods. On top of that, we should all prioritize fresh, unprocessed foods since they are both rich in potassium and low in salt.”
Participants were followed a median of 19.5 years (meaning half were followed longer, half for a shorter time). During that time, 55% of participants were hospitalized or died due to heart disease.
Other Potassium rich foods;
Food. Quantity. Calories. Potassium level.
Beet root greens, cooked 1 cup 39 1309
Fufu, cooked 1 cup 398 1080
Lima beans, cooked 1 cup 209 969
Swiss chard, cooked 1 cup 35 961
Potato, baked, with skin 1 medium 161 926
Yam, cooked 1 cup 158 911
Acorn squash, cooked 1 cup 115 896
Amaranth leaves, cooked 1 cup 28 846
Spinach, cooked 1 cup 41 839
Breadfruit, cooked 1 cup 170 808
Bamboo shoots, raw 1 cup 41 805
Water chestnuts 1 cup 120 724
Carrot juice, 100% 1 cup 94 689
Taro leaves, cooked 1 cup 35 667
Plantains, cooked 1 cup 215 663
Taro root (dasheen or yautia), cooked 1 cup 187 639
Adzuki beans, cooked 1/2 cup 147 612
Cress, raw 2 cups 32 606
Butternut squash, cooked 1 cup 82 582
Parsnips, cooked 1 cup 110 572
Sweet potato, cooked 1 cup 190 572
Luffa gourd, cooked 1 cup 100 571
Chrysanthemum leaves, cooked 1 cup 20 569
Purslane, cooked 1 cup 21 561
Kohlrabi, cooked 1 cup 48 561
Broccoli raab, cooked 1 cup 40 550
Drumstick pods (moringa), cooked 1 cup 42 539
Mushrooms, portabella, cooked 1 cup 35 529
Stewed tomatoes, canned 1 cup 66 528
Tomato juice, 100% 1 cup 41 527
Vegetable juice, 100% 1 cup 48 518
Mustard spinach, cooked 1 cup 29 513
Pumpkin, canned 1 cup 83 505
White beans, cooked 1/2 cup 125 502
Winter squash, cooked 1 cup 76 494
Artichoke, cooked 1 cup 89 480
Celeriac, raw 1 cup 66 468
Dandelion greens, cooked 1 cup 35 455
Cassava (yucca), cooked 1 cup 267 451
Burdock root, cooked 1 cup 110 450
Bok choy, cooked 1 cup 24 445
Soybeans, cooked 1/2 cup 148 443
Lotus root, cooked 1 cup 108 440
Poi (taro root) 1 cup 269
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