Potassium for less blood pressure

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

Potassium seems to be beneficial for avoiding high blood pressure and

promoting beneficial kidney functions, such as sodium excretion.

As an introduction, see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypokalemia

http://www.nutrition.org/nutinfo/

http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?query=primary+aldosteronism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldosterone

See also the available as a pdf below paper.

Haddy FJ, Vanhoutte PM, Feletou M.

Role of potassium in regulating blood flow and blood pressure.

Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2006 Mar;290(3):R546-52. Invited

Review

PMID: 16467502

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstra\

ct & list_uids=16467502 & query_hl=1 & itool=pubmed_docsum

Unlike sodium, potassium is vasoactive; for example, when infused into the

arterial supply of a vascular bed, blood flow increases. The vasodilation

results from hyperpolarization of the vascular smooth muscle cell subsequent

to potassium stimulation by the ion of the electrogenic Na(+)-K(+) pump

and/or activating the inwardly rectifying Kir channels. In the case of

skeletal muscle and brain, the increased flow sustains the augmented

metabolic needs of the tissues. Potassium ions are also released by the

endothelial cells in response to neurohumoral mediators and physical forces

(such as shear stress) and contribute to the endothelium-dependent

relaxations, being a component of endothelium-derived hyperpolarization

factor-mediated responses. Dietary supplementation of potassium can lower

blood pressure in normal and some hypertensive patients. Again, in contrast

to NaCl restriction, the response to potassium supplementation is slow to

appear, taking approximately 4 wk. Such supplementation reduces the need for

antihypertensive medication. " Salt-sensitive " hypertension responds

particularly well, perhaps, in part, because supplementation with potassium

increases the urinary excretion of sodium chloride. Potassium

supplementation may even reduce organ system complications (e.g., stroke).

.... In borderline hypertensive patients, a low-potassium diet (16 mmol/day)

for 10 days increases systolic and diastolic pressures by 7 and 6 mmHg,

respectively, relative to 10 days on a high-potassium diet (96 mmol/day)

(41).

Al Pater, alpater@...

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