Adults should consume at least 4700 mg of potassium daily

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Potassium is a mineral, often grouped with sodium, that helpsregulate fluid balance, promotes normal muscle function and isneeded for the transmission of nerve impulses. In addition,potassium plays an important role in maintaining a healthy bloodpressure, which is so important since having high blood pressureincreases your risk of heart disease and stroke.

A study from researchers in Nashville, Tennessee published in theJuly 2008 Journal of Clinical Hypertension, showed that boostinglevels of potassium in your diet may lower your risk of developinghigh blood pressure, and may also help lower blood pressure ifyours is already elevated. In their work, the researchers revieweda number of studies that looked at the role potassium plays inblood pressure management and concluded that if people were able toincrease their dietary potassium intake, the number of people withhigh blood pressure might decrease. They say that many people couldlower their blood pressure by about 10% or more if they increasedtheir intake of potassium-rich foods, and they point out that ahealthy intake of potassium is thought to be one reason whyvegetarians who eat lots of fruits and vegetables have a lowerincidence of heart disease. And, the well known DASH diet which hasbeen clinically shown to successfully help manage blood pressuresuggests 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily whichprovide valuable sources of potassium.

In 2004, the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine released dietary recommendations for water, sodium, potassium,chloride and sulphate and in this report they suggest that adults should consume at least 4700 mg of potassium daily, which is muchhigher than many people's normal intake.

So, how do you get more potassium into your diet? It's pretty easy.The best sources include dried fruits, citrus fruits, melons,bananas, potatoes, green vegetables, lima beans, dairy products,avocado, tomatoes and whole grains. In general, for healthyindividuals, a potassium supplement is not recommended.