Eating more potassium can lower blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure, but it doesn’t help people with normal blood pressure — so it’s like a targeted fix just for those who need it.

If adults with high blood pressure eat more potassium-rich foods—like bananas or spinach—by about 50 mmol per day, their blood pressure numbers go down a bit, which might help lower their risk of heart problems.

If you eat more potassium every day—like from bananas or potatoes—your blood pressure might drop just a tiny bit, but not enough to matter for your health if you don’t already have high blood pressure.

If people eat less salt and more potassium-rich salt, the extra potassium might lower their blood pressure more than cutting back on salt alone — and most of that drop seems to come from the potassium.

If you have high blood pressure, eating more potassium might lower it more than it does for someone with normal blood pressure.

If you eat more potassium-rich foods and less salty food, your blood pressure might drop by a few points—and most of that drop probably comes from eating more potassium, not less salt.