Dietary Potassium Necessary to Maintain Optimal Health in Teenagers

A new study has revealed that a potassium rich diet could offer a lot of health benefits to teenagers.

Researchers who studied the dietary habits of 2185 teenagers said, "An increased potassium intake may reduce the risk of death and cardiovascular disease through its effects on blood pressure, or it may simply be a marker of healthy dietary patterns that are rich in potassium (e.g., high consumption of fruit and vegetables)."

Their dietary habits were monitored for a period of 10 years where the researchers regularly measured the levels of potassium and sodium in the body along with blood pressure data.

Potassium has been found to playing a crucial role in maintain optimal health in previous studies as well. The chemical is found naturally in many food sources and known to improve kidney function, reduce blood pressure and also aids in heart beats.

The study also turned up some surprising results. It was observed that even higher sodium levels in teenagers does not necessarily lead to an increase in blood pressure.

"However, higher potassium intakes were inversely associated with blood pressure change throughout adolescence," the researchers explained.

"It may be that potassium is more of a determinant of blood pressure than sodium is," they added. "The kids who consumed the most potassium had much lower blood pressures by the end of adolescence. What we need to focus on is increasing potassium intake rather than focusing on restricting sodium intake."

WHO recommends that adults should consume atleast 3150mg/day. To put this in better context you should know a single banana will nourish you with 420 mg of potassium while a baked potato can provide as much as 700 mg.

Other food sources that are rich in potassium are spinach, kale and avocadoes.