European researchers show that a diet high in potassium can protect women from heart attacks and cardiovascular disease.
Foods high in potassium include salmon, bananas, and avocados, which can also reduce the negative effects of salt.
"It is well known that high salt consumption is associated with increased blood pressure and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke," said study author Professor Liffert Vogt, of the University of Amsterdam Medical Center, The Netherlands, in a press release.
"Health advice aims to limit salt intake, but that is difficult to achieve when our diet includes processed foods. Potassium helps the body eliminate more sodium in the urine. In our study, dietary potassium was associated with the greatest health benefits in women.
The study recruited 24,963 volunteers aged 40 to 70 between 1993 and 1997 in Norfolk, England.
Although the study involved both men and women, the researchers found that when women's potassium consumption increased, blood pressure dropped. However, this was only shown in women with a high sodium intake.
"The results show that potassium helps maintain heart health, but that women benefit more than men," said Professor Vogt. "The association between potassium and cardiovascular events was the same regardless of salt intake, suggesting that potassium has other ways of protecting the heart besides increasing sodium excretion
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