A high-potassium diet may protect arteries against hypertensive injury and retard the development of hypertension, independent of blood pressure normalization.
Does a high-potassium diet prevent arterial and renal lesions in a hypertensive setting?
A high-potassium diet may offer a protective effect against arterial and renal injury in hypertension, independent of blood pressure normalization.
For the first 98.5% of mankind's existence, prehistoric people all ate low-sodium, high-potassium, low-fat diets. With evolutionary forces working all this while, humans became very well adapted to the low-sodium, high-potassium, low-fat diet. In modern times, man has deserted his ancient cuisine and now favours a high-sodium, low-potassium, high-fat diet, which has produced several 'diseases of civilization', including hypertension. Many studies indicate that a 'normal'-potassium diet can prevent many of these arterial and renal lesions, even though the blood pressure remains equally hypertensive. The high-potassium diet also tends to retard the development of hypertension. The use of the high K diet is a prime example of protecting arteries in a hypertensive setting. This is the new dimension in hypertension therapy, protecting the arteries in addition to normalizing the blood pressure.
Louis Tobian (Wed,) conducted a review in Hypertension. High-potassium diet vs. Low-potassium diet was evaluated on Arterial and renal lesions and development of hypertension. A high-potassium diet may protect arteries against hypertensive injury and retard the development of hypertension, independent of blood pressure normalization.
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