A new study from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA, has found that adequate potassium-rich foods such as bananas and avocados prevent arteries from hardening and reduce the risk of fatal blockages.
The research found that when mice were fed potassium-rich foods, they experienced reduced stiffness in their aorta, the body’s main artery. Previous research has already revealed that stiff, inflexible arteries increase a person’s risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, and researchers believe potassium regulates genes that maintain artery flexibility.
The study used mice who were at-risk of heart disease and each mouse received a high-fat diet. Different mice were then given either low, normal or high levels of potassium throughout the study.
“The findings have important translational potential, since they demonstrate the benefit of adequate potassium supplementation on prevention of vascular calcification in atherosclerosis-prone mice, and the adverse effect of low potassium intake,” said Paul Sanders, professor at the University of Alabama to the Daily Mail.
After reading the results of this research, will you start adding bananas or avocados back into your weekly diet?
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