Potassium Linked with Lower Stroke Risk

A meta-analysis of 10 studies on over 268,000 subjects has determined that potassium intake is inversely related to risk of ischemic stroke. Results are available in the journal Stroke.

An ischemic stroke occurs when there is an obstruction to a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain. Short of identifying an exact mechanism behind potassium’s affect on the condition, researchers concluded that an 11% reduced risk of ischemic stroke for every 1000-mg/day increased.

A total of 8695 strokes were recorded throughout the 10 studies.

Previous meta-analyses support the theory of potassium affecting stroke risk. A 2011 meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that subjects consuming the highest amounts of potassium held a 79% reduced stroke risk, compared to subjects in the lowest intake pool.

The Stroke study was led by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Medicine (Stockholm). Funding was made available by a grant from the Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research.