mineral · for high blood pressure
Potassium
Helps your kidneys clear excess sodium, and relaxes blood vessel walls.
Say that in clinical terms
Potassium promotes natriuresis (sodium excretion), reduces blood volume, relaxes vascular smooth muscle, and blunts the blood pressure-raising effects of sodium. The sodium-to-potassium ratio is a stronger predictor of BP than sodium alone.
How strong is the research?
3 papers read, 3 supporting.
Who was studied: The pooled trials were in people who already had high blood pressure; the effect is smaller if yours is normal.
How much to take
daily with meals
99–200 mg
Supplement in combination with high-potassium diet. FDA limits supplements to 99mg; dietary sources are primary.
Before you take it
- No Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) established for potassium in healthy adults (National Academies 2019 DRI update; NIH ODS); healthy kidneys efficiently excrete excess dietary and supplemental potassium. Risk is concentrated in those with impaired renal function.
- Individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), adrenal insufficiency, diabetes-associated nephropathy, or any other condition impairing renal potassium excretion face hyperkalemia risk from supplemental potassium that can cause life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias and cardiac arrest.
- Clinically significant additive hyperkalemia risk when potassium is combined with: ACE inhibitors (lisinopril, enalapril, ramipril), ARBs (losartan, valsartan, olmesartan), potassium-sparing diuretics (spironolactone, triamterene, amiloride), NSAIDs (particularly in those with any renal impairment), high-dose trimethoprim, or heparin.
- FDA caps OTC supplement servings at ≤99 mg potassium per serving to reduce risk of accidental hyperkalemia. This is far below the adequate intake for adults (2,600–3,400 mg/day from food) and below doses used in clinical trials demonstrating blood pressure benefit; doses sufficient for therapeutic effect require medical supervision.
- Solid oral potassium chloride tablet formulations (especially enteric-coated forms) carry a risk of GI mucosal ulceration, perforation, and stricture; FDA requires labeling for this risk. Liquid, powder, and food-sourced potassium do not carry this GI risk.
- Insulin deficiency or poorly controlled diabetes impairs cellular potassium uptake, increasing hyperkalemia risk in this population.
- Hypertensive patients are the population most likely to already be taking ACE inhibitors, ARBs, or potassium-sparing diuretics — precisely the drug classes that carry the highest hyperkalemia interaction risk with potassium supplementation; the target population for this association faces the highest drug-supplement interaction risk of any user group.
What we make of it
One of the best-supported claims in nutrition, replicated by independent government-funded work.
The detail
The mechanism is accurate and the blood pressure effect has been reproduced across independent, government-funded pooled analyses. This is about as solid as nutritional evidence gets.