Can a high-potassium diet help lower my risk of stroke?

People with diets high in potassium have lower blood pressures than those with potassium-poor diets, according to a number of studies. High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for stroke, so it's no surprise that higher potassium levels are also associated with lower stroke incidence. One prospective study that followed more than 43,000 men for eight years found that men who consumed the highest amounts of dietary potassium (a median of 4,300 mg per day) were only 62% as likely to have a stroke as those whose median intake was just 2,400 mg per day. However, a similar prospective study that followed more than 85,000 women for 14 years found a much more modest association between potassium intake and the risk of stroke. Additional research has mostly upheld these findings, with the strongest evidence to support high dietary potassium seen in people with high blood pressure and in blacks, who are more prone to high blood pressure than whites.

Never take potassium supplements without a doctor's prescription, as high potassium levels can be dangerous.  Instead, eat a diet that is naturally rich in potassium.