Salt is often to blame when it comes to high blood pressure. But maintaining a low salt intake is anything but easy when it can often be found lurking in everything from frozen foods to cereals, canned goods, cheeses, and more. This is where our good friend the banana comes in.
Just one banana (126 grams) contains 451 milligrams of potassium, reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Researchers from a longitudinal 2022 study published in the European Heart Journal explain that potassium helps clear out sodium from the body through urination. Using survey data, blood pressure measurements, and urine samples from 24,963 middle-aged and older adults in the U.K., the study team found that women with a high sodium intake experienced a 2.4 mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number of a blood pressure reading) per every 1 gram (1,000 milligrams) increase of potassium consumed each day. Between both men and women, those who consumed the greatest amounts of potassium were 13% less susceptible to cardiovascular events than participants who consumed the lowest amounts of potassium. The researchers ultimately concluded that eating bananas, along with other potassium-rich foods, may help mitigate health risks associated with high salt consumption in women.