"If you eat a typical Western diet, your sodium intake is high and your potassium intake is low. This significantly increases your chances of developing high blood pressure,"McDonough said. As a result, humans evolvedto crave sodium - but not potassium, she said.Decreasing sodium intake is a well-established way to lower blood pressure. However, evidence suggests that increasing dietary potassium may have an equally importanteffect on hypertension, said Alicia McDonough of University of Southern California (USC) in the US. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a global health issue that affects more than one billion people worldwide. "When dietary potassium is low, the balancing act uses sodium retention to hold onto the limited potassium, which is like eating a higher sodium diet," she said. Modern diets, however, have changed drastically since then.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that hypertension is responsible for at least 51 per cent of deaths due to stroke and 45 per cent of deaths due to heart disease. Processed food companies add salt to satisfy our cravings, and processed foods are usually low in potassium, researchers said.Los Angeles: Eating foods rich in potassium such as bananas, spinach, beans and even coffee may help lower your blood pressure, a new study has found.Researchers reviewed previous studies to illustrate the mechanisms for potassium benefits in rodent models.Our early ancestors ate primitive diets that were high in fruits, roots, vegetables, beans and grains (all higher in potassium) and very low in sodium. The studies indicated that the body does a balancing actthat uses sodium to maintain close control of potassium levels in the blood, which is critical to normal heart, nerve and muscle function.The review found several population studies demonstrating that higher dietary potassium was associated with lower blood pressure, regardless of sodium intake. Eating a high potassium diet is like taking a diuretic," said McDonough.The study was published Fire extinguisher manometer in the American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism."When dietary potassium is high, kidneys excrete more saltand water, which increases potassium excretion.. Interventional studies with potassium supplementation also suggested that potassium provides a direct benefit, researchers said

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