Everyone knows fruit and vegetables are good for you but according to a new study, they may also help lower blood pressure. According to the study, people who eat potassium-rich foods like sweet potatoes, spinach, beans, avocados and bananas in addition to reducing salt intake saw lower blood pressure.
This result persisted, no matter how much salt patients consumed. For the research, the team looked at several studies that analyzed subjects' potassium intake, as measured by the amount found in their urine or from their recollection of what they ate. The researchers then looked at how potassium intake affected other factors, such as blood pressure, and sodium intake.
"When dietary potassium is high, kidneys excrete more salt and water, which increases potassium excretion," study author Alicia McDonough said in a recent statement. "Eating a high potassium diet is like taking a diuretic."
