A Lower-Sodium, Potassium-Aware Kitchen for Hypertension

Deep-research Food-as-Medicine article on hypertension, asking what human trials measured when sodium was lowered and a potassium-rich dietary pattern was fed. In the United States, August 2021-August 2023, the age-adjusted percentage of adults with hypertension was 44.5%, highest among non-Hispanic Black adults at 58.0% (CDC MMWR QuickStats, definition systolic >=130 or diastolic >=80 mm Hg or medication). In the DASH feeding trial (Appel 1997, PMID 9099655, n=459), a combination diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy with reduced saturated and total fat reduced systolic pressure 5.5 mm Hg more than control overall and 11.4 mm Hg more in participants with hypertension over 8 weeks, with sodium and weight constant. In DASH-Sodium (Sacks 2001, DOI 10.1056/NEJM200101043440101, n=412), lowering sodium lowered pressure further on both diets, and DASH plus low sodium was 11.5 mm Hg lower than the high-sodium control diet in participants with hypertension. Higher potassium intake reduced systolic pressure 3.49 mm Hg in adults with hypertension in a meta-analysis of 22 trials, 1,606 participants (Aburto 2013, PMID 23558164), with the authors' conclusion limited to people without impaired renal handling of potassium. No supplement is recommended; potassium-based salt substitutes and increased potassium require clinician review with kidney disease or common blood-pressure medicines. Evidence grade: STRONG for the DASH plus sodium-reduction pattern; MODERATE for potassium intake on its own. Educational article from the Buddha Ayurvedic School of Medicine: https://buddha.hospital