- Recent research presented at an American Heart Association (AHA) conference found that the potassium-rich DASH diet did not raise blood potassium to unsafe levels in adults taking common blood pressure medications.
- However, people with advanced chronic kidney disease or chronically high potassium levels should still avoid high potassium diets..
- Experts advise that the 4,700 mg of daily potassium in the study is difficult to achieve for most people, but foods such as leafy greens, bananas, avocados, and salmon can help.
- Healthcare professionals can work alongside patients taking high blood pressure medication to help them create an individualized eating plan and monitor for any signs of hyperkalemia.
Hyperkalemia is a potential serious side effect of certain blood pressure medications,
However, consuming a diet high in potassium-rich foods is
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Research presented at the American Heart Association (AHA)’s
They found that the DASH diet did not raise blood potassium to unsafe levels.
The abstracts presented at the conference are considered preliminary until they are published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
No significant increase in serum potassium with DASH diet
Participants in the study did not experience any significant increase in blood potassium after following the potassium-rich DASH diet for 12 weeks.
Researchers analyzed data from 356 Black adults from the greater Boston area who were participating in
Participants either received DASH-patterned groceries or a monetary stipend to purchase appropriate food for the eating plan, which provided around 4,700 milligrams (mg) of potassium per day.
At the start of the study, the average serum potassium at baseline was 4.16 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) in the group receiving groceries and 4.18 mmol/L in the group purchasing their own food.
After 12 weeks, the study authors noted “no significant increase in potassium levels” in either group.
David Rhee, MD, board certified cardiologist with Manhattan Cardiology in NYC, and contributor to LabFinder.com, told Medical News Today:
“The kidney is unmatched in its ability to self-regulate the excretion of water and electrolytes. Yes, sometimes the kidney can get things wrong too, especially if we add medications or diseases to the mix, but this study further supports that the kidney is able to handle a dietary potassium load by inappropriately increasing potassium secretion even in patients with high blood pressure and medications that work through the kidneys.”
Rhee, who was not involved in the study, added that “food-based potassium is absorbed into the bloodstream more slowly than potassium chloride supplements.”
Cheng-Han Chen, MD, board certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA, also spoke with MNT about the research.
“While we have traditionally exercised caution before recommending the DASH diet in patients who are prescribed ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, or potassium-sparing diuretics, these results show that those patients could likely adopt the DASH diet without significant concern for harm,” said Chen, who was also not involved in the study.
What people with advanced-stage kidney disease should know
Those following the DASH diet did not experience any dangerous changes in kidney function.
However, the researchers noted in the press release that “future research should focus on participants with suboptimal kidney function.” Kidney disease can increase serum potassium due to a reduced ability to effectively filter potassium.
This is more common with advanced kidney problems, but this study did not include participants with stage 4 or 5 kidney disease.
They also did not include people with higher-than-average baseline serum potassium.
“In general, people with advanced chronic kidney disease or known chronic high potassium levels should still avoid a high potassium diet,” cautioned Chen.
“Once we enter into advanced kidney disease territory (stage 4-5), hyperkalemia poses a significant risk and patients (on or off these blood pressure medications) should not deliberately increase their potassium intake. If anything, they will often need to decrease the potassium intake,” Rhee added.
Is 4,700 mg of potassium daily too much for hypertension?
Participants in the study had around 4,700 mg of potassium each day. We asked Rhee whether this amount of potassium daily was realistic and appropriate for most people with high blood pressure.
“4.7 grams (4,700 mg) of potassium is really, really hard to achieve. Most of us take in about
Rhee added that “
