According to this report NIH say only 5% of Americans get the 4700mg of potassium daily. Think about it, who gets 4700mg potassium daily from their FOODS?

How Much Potassium Should You Take to Lower Blood Pressure? | LIVESTRONG.COM

I've been dealing with higher BP probably since my 50's and even on meds I get spikes from certain foods, situations, etc....but believe more and more about this potassium issue.

It's been spiking when I've been going to the Osteopathic doctor I see weekly so thinking about this more and more and will take a larger dose of potassium when I leave the house tomorrow and take more potassium generally. I know I don't get the RDA daily amount.

We are overloaded with sodium unless one eats everything cooked from scratch...no processed stuff.

Do your research as always.

There is the "white coat" syndrome - Drs office's etc BP will raise..

It is white coat a lot of times, but it's higher at home too and I take 3 meds....so I'm putting 2 and 2 together on the potassium and blood pressure, heart issues. How many know how much potassium they take in and you know the doctors don't talk this...so out goes the script pad and drugs for the rest of one's life.

I found another site that says 98% Americans are potassium deficient. NIH says 95%, this other site says 98%. Enough for my mind to understand all this more. I know I'm lucky if I get 2000mg potassium rich foods daily. I sure don't eat 5 bananas a day, I might eat 2-3 small ones a week. C

I took bp meds for about 3 years, after I had a stroke BUT I do believe the stroke was caused by the bp med, metropolol. I had to stop taking it because it was eating up my insides. I had a constant stomach ache and was bleeding all the time and my hair fell out, 80% of it. Plus I felt terrible. I tried others after that then weaned myself off of them but that one was the worst.

I think it's better now since I got away from doctors who were slowly killing me with meds. I do sleep more now and take frequent rest periods during the day.

I am trying to stop smoking, I've cut down a lot, I'll stop any day now. And I take potassium and magnesium and B complex.

This link provides helpful information about food sources of potassium Potassium | Linus Pauling Institute | Oregon State University.

I meet the potassium RDA from the fresh fruit and vegetables that I eat.

Medication for hypertension is complicated, Current evidence suggests that beta-blockers are not recommended as first line treatment Beta-blockers for hypertension | Cochrane. Others may be better - I am on a calcium channel-blocker which works well for me.

Life-style choices, in my case regular exercise and stopping drinking and smoking, have also helped me.

Everyone is different and many cannot get the exercise they need, I'm one of them. I exercised a LOT into my 60's and then with OA getting worse, I had to back down. With this narley hip replacement, I have a hard time walking.

I cannot get 4700mg of potassium from foods, I'd be sitting around eating lbs all day. Many don't even know about the need for potassium.

I had a friend who is now gone, but she was paranoid about salt intake, didn't know much about potassium but ate a banana daily 400mg and the other foods she ate.... but was no where getting enough potassium in her body.

She would pass out a lot and end up in the ER and was found to be so potassium deficient and had to have potassium IV's to be released... She was aging and again the old folks mostly are happy to be walking. Not many 80 yr old marathoners.

Kiwi, it's good that you can meet your country's RDA with foods...is the RDA the same as in the U.S., just curious.

More on this, I rely on Dr. Sinatra's heart info on all aspects from cholesterol, homocysteine, statins, BP you name it. Here is what he says about potassium and heart health. He adds coconut water to the high in potassium foods...I just drank an 8oz container of CO water and it has 510mg potassium. I'm getting ready to go to the D.O. for a session and working to keep BP down....wish she would stop pulling out the BP machine.

High Salt + Low Potassium = A Dangerous Cause for High Blood Pressure | Dr. Stephen Sinatra

Hi Kiwi - thanks for the useful Linus Pauling link - as someone who has to manage both potassium & sodium levels 'manually', as my body no longer does it naturally (due to Addison's Disease), it provided some good detailed info.

In regard to the potassium content of food I was told by my endocrinologist to avoid too many 'orange' colored fruits as they tend to be high in potassium: eg: apricots, oranges, persimmons etc. Other than that I eat a pretty normal diet - (mostly home prepared with little processed food) but still eat avocados, yogurt etc regularly. My potassium/sodium levels are tested 3 monthly and are normally within range - the only exception being once after surgery when the potassium was low - which I corrected within two weeks by bulking up on banana's, avocado and yogurt.

A normal healthy diet should provide adequate potassium - it is found in such a wide range of foods. If test levels are regularly low (or high) it may be an indication of another condition which might need medical investigation.

There are many different causes of elevated blood pressures and also many different manners in which to treat it. It is NOT a one size fits all.

I am always a bit concerned when someone decides to take matters into their own hands and play doctor for themselves, especially without the training nor the testing that is available to physicians.

That being said, unless one KNOWS their levels of anything, I personally feel that "supplementing" is not always a wise decision.

Potassium can actually KILL you. If someone unknowingly has an elevated potassium level and is supplementing their potassium levels, they are causing themselves more harm.

Kidneys play a big part in regulating blood pressure. People with renal insufficiency or renal disease, need to avoid foods containing potassium or at least limit them. Patients on dialysis should NOT be eating bananas.

Just knowing ones potassium levels is not adequate. One also needs to know their BUN and creatinine levels.

Blood pressure is not a simple matter and is best left to professionals to make decisions about how best to treat it in consideration of a lot of other factors for a specific patient. Cardiovascular issues will affect blood pressure. Life style affects blood pressure. Hydration levels affect blood pressure. Kidney function affects blood pressure. What other medications is the patient taking? And the list goes on and on.

Blood pressure meds are also used for other reasons beyond just blood pressure. There are many classes of blood pressure medications, including, calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, ace inhibitors, etc.

Physicians do not prescribe blood pressure medications in a vacuum. There are many factors beyond blood pressure readings that are taken into account. This is why a complete metabolic panel should be done prior to prescribing medication and also before one should decide to supplement based upon ONE aspect alone.

The body is a marvelous thing with many regulators and checks and balances. It is when the body can not make the proper adjustments needed, medications come into play. My opinion, if it ain't broke, don't mess with it.

YOU may be causing imbalances for which your the body may not be able to compensate if you supplement things that do not need supplementation.

And if your body can't handle an overload of potassium, cardiac issues will soon follow.

I am sorry if I have offended anyone here, but PLEASE be careful when you take it upon yourself to supplement without knowing what you are doing to yourself.

Research is fine, but it does not give you the FULL picture. Blood pressure is not a distinct separate issue that can be treated without knowing a lot of other factors. One must consider the entire body, not just the systolic and diastolic numbers of one's BP readings.

Some other considerations. Are the BP readings the same in both arms or do they differ? What are the ankle pressures? Which is climbing, the systolic or the diastolic, or both? What time of day was the reading taken? Was the patient sitting or standing? Was the arm at the same level as the heart? Was the cuff the proper size for the patient?

Just some food for thought.

Potassium (K) in Blood: Healthwise Medical Information on eMedicineHealth

Above is an article you may find more informative regarding potassium levels.

Below is an excerpt from the article.

What To Think About
•Low blood potassium values are more common than high blood potassium values.
•An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) may show signs of a very high or very low blood potassium level because of the effect potassium has on the heart. To learn more, see the topic Electrocardiogram.
•Other electrolyte tests, such as sodium, calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphate, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine, are often done at the same time as a test for potassium.