Elevated dietary sodium intake is associated with increased blood pressure, while a diet rich in potassium exerts a contrary influence. The fundamental physiological pathways involved are modulated by sex and involve a complex interplay of numerous organs and tissues. This investigation seeks to elucidate how heightened potassium levels induce modifications in renal function that contribute to blood pressure reduction, and to delineate any sex-specific divergences in these mechanisms. To address these inquiries, a collaborative effort by two researchers at the University of Waterloo employed computational simulations designed to replicate whole-body fluid and electrolyte balance, alongside the impact of sodium and potassium consumption on arterial pressure.
Melissa Stadt & Anita Layton suggest increasing the ratio of dietary potassium to sodium intake may be more effective for lowering blood pressure than simply reducing sodium intake. Image credit: Melissa Stadt & Anita Layton, doi: 10.1152/ajprenal.00222.2024.
Hypertension afflicts a substantial proportion of the global adult population, exceeding 30%. It stands as the primary determinant of coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular events, and it may precipitate a cascade of other health complications, including chronic renal impairment, cardiac insufficiency, arrhythmias, and cognitive decline.
“The conventional advice for individuals experiencing elevated blood pressure typically involves a reduction in salt consumption,” stated Professor Anita Layton, the study’s corresponding author.
“Our findings intimate that augmenting one’s intake of potassium-rich foods, such as bananas or broccoli, could yield a more pronounced beneficial effect on blood pressure compared to merely curtailing sodium intake.”
Potassium and sodium are both classified as electrolytes, which are vital substances that facilitate the transmission of electrochemical signals for muscle contraction, regulate the body’s water balance, and support other critical physiological functions.
“Ancestral human diets comprised a significant quantity of fruits and vegetables; consequently, our physiological regulatory systems may have evolved to function optimally within a dietary paradigm characterized by high potassium and low sodium,” explained Melissa Stadt, the study’s lead author.
“Contemporary Western dietary patterns, by contrast, generally exhibit a higher sodium content and a diminished potassium level.”
“This dietary disparity might account for the prevalence of hypertension primarily within industrialized societies, as opposed to less acculturated populations.”
While prior investigations have substantiated the efficacy of increased potassium consumption in managing blood pressure, the researchers have devised a mathematical model capable of accurately identifying the impact of the potassium-to-sodium ratio on the organism.
Furthermore, this model elucidates the influence of sex-based differences on the interrelationship between potassium and arterial pressure.
The scientific team observed that males tend to develop hypertension more readily than pre-menopausal females; however, they also exhibit a greater propensity for a favorable response to an elevated potassium-to-sodium ratio.
“Computational models, analogous to the one employed in this research, facilitate rapid, cost-effective, and ethically sound investigations into how diverse variables affect bodily functions,” the authors noted.
The research paper authored by this team was disseminated in March 2025 within the pages of the American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology.
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Melissa Stadt & Anita T. Layton. Modulation of blood pressure by dietary potassium and sodium: sex differences and modeling analysis. American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology, published online March 3, 2025; doi: 10.1152/ajprenal.00222.2024
