The Role of Dietary Potassium and Sodium in Hypertension and Cardiovascular Damage and Protection

Abstract

This review focuses on the role of dietary potassium and sodium in hypertension and cardiovascular (CV) damage and protection. It briefly describes the burden of global hypertension and CV diseases; discusses some of the ways that sodium and potassium imbalance induce hypertension; provides some experimental evidence explaining how high-sodium and low-potassium diet induces target organ (kidney and heart, etc.) damage independent of blood pressure, and addresses the role that a low-sodium and high-potassium diet may play to reduce the incidence of hypertension, CV events, and death.