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.

Scientific Claim

In patients with well-controlled essential hypertension, increasing dietary potassium intake from natural foods reduces average daily antihypertensive medication use to 24% of baseline after one year, compared to 60% in those maintaining their customary diet (P<0.001).

Original Statement

“After 1 year, the average drug consumption (number of pills per day) relative to that at baseline was 24% in group 1 (95% Cl, 15% to 32%) and 60% in group 2 (Cl, 44% to 76%) (P less than 0.001).”

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 causal claims. The verb 'reduces' is appropriate for this design.

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

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.

91%

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.

91%

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.

87%

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.

79%

When people with controlled high blood pressure eat a meal high in potassium, their blood potassium levels go up significantly compared to a low-potassium meal, especially within an hour and two hours after eating.

78%