Eating more potassium-rich foods doesn't change how much salt is passed in urine or body weight for people with high blood pressure over a year.

Scientific Claim

In patients with essential hypertension, increasing dietary potassium intake does not alter urinary sodium excretion or body weight over a one-year period.

Original Statement

“No change was observed in either urinary sodium excretion or in body weight.”

From study:Increasing the dietary potassium intake reduces the need for antihypertensive medication.

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

definitive

Can make definitive causal claims

Assessment Explanation

The study design is a randomized controlled trial, which supports definitive statements about observed changes. The verb 'does not alter' accurately reflects the measured results.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Increasing the dietary potassium intake reduces the need for antihypertensive medication.

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

1991 Nov 15

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Increasing the dietary potassium intake reduces the need for antihypertensive medication.

Score: 61

DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-115-10-753

Similar Assertions

For people with high blood pressure, eating more potassium-rich foods leads to higher potassium levels in their bodies after a year, as measured by food records and urine tests.

87%

People with controlled high blood pressure who ate more potassium-rich foods experienced fewer side effects or discomfort after a year compared to those who kept their usual diet.

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For people with controlled high blood pressure, eating more potassium-rich foods lets them take much less blood pressure medicine after a year—only a quarter of what they started with, compared to 60% for those who didn't change their diet.

79%

When mice eat a lot of salt, adding a moderate amount of potassium lowers their blood pressure, showing that potassium's main benefit might be fighting high blood pressure caused by salt.

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People with controlled high blood pressure who ate more potassium-rich foods were more likely to manage their condition with less than half their original medication dose after a year—81% compared to 29% in those who didn't change their diet.

77%