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The Curious Bag
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The 41st annual American Society of Nephrology's meeting in Philadelphia in 2008 featured a study that dealt directly with low blood potassium and its relation to blood pressure.
Considerations
According to Science Daily, the doctors who conducted this research stress that if one was worried about high blood pressure, he should lower sodium intake and increase potassium intake. The study results show that low blood potassium can lead to higher blood pressure.
Theories/Speculation
According to Science Daily, the study found that a specific gene called WNK 1 may be the cause of potassium's effect on blood pressure.
Expert Insight
The research revealed that the link between potassium and blood pressure was high even when age, weight and genetics were taken into consideration.
Significance
According to Science Daily, sodium was, until recently, thought to be the only mineral linked to blood pressure levels. This new study proves that assumption wrong.
Prevention/Solution
The study, led by Dr. Susan Hedavati, concluded that low potassium levels may have a greater effect on increasing blood pressure than do high sodium levels. Published in Science Daily, the study found that African-Americans and Caucasian males are at a high risk for having potassium affect their blood pressure.
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