If you’ve ever had a twinge in your chest or felt your heart racing, you know how important it is to have a healthy heart and circulatory system. That’s why potassium is such an important mineral for maintaining cardiovascular health: It helps keep blood pressure at healthy levels and reduces the risk of stroke by building up elasticity in the blood vessels so they can flex naturally with each heartbeat. But did you know there’s more than one way that potassium can help protect your heart? Here are five ways that this essential mineral keeps our hearts pumping strong:
1. Upholding Cardiovascular Health
Potassium is an electrolyte that’s essential for maintaining normal heart rhythm and blood pressure. It also helps keep your heart healthy, reducing the risk of stroke. Potassium helps regulate fluid balance in your body, along with sodium and chloride (another electrolyte). The kidneys remove excess potassium from the bloodstream when it builds up too high–and they reabsorb excess amounts when needed again.
2. Heart Muscle Support
Potassium helps to maintain healthy heart muscle, which is important for keeping your heart beating regularly. Potassium also regulates the rhythm of your heartbeat, so it can be beneficial for people who have an irregular heartbeat or are at risk for developing one. Potassium may help prevent high blood pressure by lowering sodium levels in your body and reducing fluid retention. This can help keep your heart from having to work too hard during exercise or physical activity–which could lead to a lower risk of stroke or sudden death from coronary artery disease (CAD). Studies have shown that people with low potassium levels have an increased risk of developing CAD compared with those whose diets contain more potassium-rich foods like fruits and vegetables. In fact, one study found that eating just two extra servings per day could reduce CAD mortality rates by up to 21 percent!
3. Building Resilience Against Stroke
Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States, and they’re on the rise. In fact, strokes have increased by 30 percent since 1985. Potassium can help prevent this life-threatening condition by building resilience against it; It helps regulate blood pressure by controlling sodium levels in your body (high sodium is associated with high blood pressure). It prevents heart disease by lowering triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels while raising HDL cholesterol levels–all factors that contribute to heart health.
4. Blood Pressure Regulation
Potassium is a mineral that helps the body to maintain healthy blood pressure, as well as prevent and treat high blood pressure. It can also help to prevent and treat low blood pressure, which is known as hypotension. In fact, one study found that people with low potassium levels were twice as likely to develop high blood pressure than those with adequate levels of this important nutrient in their diet.
5. Commendable Fluid Equilibrium
Potassium is a mineral that’s important for maintaining fluid balance in the body. It helps to control water retention, which can help lower blood pressure. Potassium also helps regulate electrolyte balance and maintain normal blood pressure levels. Potassium’s effect on blood sugar levels has been studied extensively: A large meta-analysis of studies found that people who ate more potassium were less likely to develop diabetes compared with those who consumed less than 2,500 milligrams per day (about 1/2 cup of cubed raw potato).
If you’re looking for a natural way to support your heart health, potassium is an excellent choice. It’s easy to get enough of this mineral in your diet and it has many other benefits as well!
