The mineral you’re not getting enough of — but should be!
Postmenopausal women who eat more potassium-rich foods are 12 percent less likely to suffer a stroke than those who eat less, found a study published in the medical journal Stroke. Scientists studied over 90,000 women from 50 to 79 years of age for 11 years. Those who got the most potassium were 10 percent less likely to die from stroke than those who got the least.
And more potassium meant a 16 percent lower chance of having an ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke. It happens when an artery to your brain becomes blocked. Experts believe potassium works by improving blood flow and preventing arteries from becoming stiff.
The Department of Agriculture recommends women get 4,700 milligrams (mg) of potassium a day. And the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 3,510 mg potassium daily to lower stroke risk.
- FC&A Staff Writer
