Researchers studied 90,137 postmenopausal women, aged 50 to 79
Women who ate most potassium 27per cent less likely to suffer stroke
Experts have warned too much potassium can harm the heart
Eating bananas could cut the risk of strokes in post-menopausal women, a study suggests.
Foods high in potassium could help lower the chance by as much as a quarter, it found.
Researchers studied 90,137 postmenopausal women, aged 50 to 79, for an average of 11 years.
They looked at how much potassium they consumed, and whether they had strokes or died during the study.
Eating bananas could cut the risk of strokes in post-menopausal women, a study suggests. Foods high in potassium could help lower the chance by as much as a quarter, it found
Participants were stroke-free at the start and their average dietary potassium intake was 2,611mg a day.
The World Health Organisation’s daily recommendation for women is 3,510mg or more. Only 16.6 per cent of those studied met or exceeded that.
Researchers studied 90,137 postmenopausal women, aged 50 to 79, for an average of 11 years
Results of this study, published in the American Heart Association journal Report, are based on potassium from food, not supplements. A medium-sized banana contains around 430mg.
Women who ate the most potassium were 12 per cent less likely to suffer stroke in general and 16 per cent less likely to suffer an ischaemic stroke (where blood to the brain is cut off) than women who ate the least.
Among women who did not have high blood pressure, those who ate the most potassium had a 27 per cent lower risk of ischaemic stroke and 21 per cent reduced risk for all stroke types.
Of the women with hypertension, those who ate the most potassium had a lower risk of death, but potassium intake did not lower their stroke risk.
Researchers suggested that higher dietary potassium intake may be more beneficial before high blood pressure develops.
They also found that women who ate the most potassium were 10 per cent less likely to die early than those who ate the least.
The study’s senior author Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, said: ‘Our findings suggest that women need to eat more potassium-rich foods. You won’t find high potassium in junk food. Some foods high in potassium include white and sweet potatoes, bananas and white beans.’
However, she warned that having too much potassium can be dangerous to the heart, and that people should check how much of the mineral they should consume.
Source: Daily Mail
