Low plasma potassium levels are associated with increased risk of dangerous alterations in heart rhythms, while potassium levels in the upper-normal range appear protective. Increasing dietary potassium was targeted for patients at high risk of ventricular arrhythmias, including those with implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Dietary advice emphasized high-potassium vegetables such as white beets, beetroots, and cabbage, while recommending against meat because its sodium content can counteract potassium benefits. Prior studies have linked higher potassium with reduced heart failure risk. Increasing potassium to the mid-to-high normal range is presented as an inexpensive, widely available strategy for patients with cardiovascular diseases associated with arrhythmia risk.
There is some evidence from observational studies to suggest that low plasma potassium levels are associated with increased risk of dangerous alterations in heart rhythms and that potassium levels in the upper normal level have protective effects.
White beets, beetroots, cabbage and so on are all high-content potassium-rich diets," Bundgaard said.
We did not recommend meat, which is also potassium-rich, because it is also rich in sodium and counter-interacts the increase in potassium.
We believe the time is right to consider increasing potassium levels to the mid-to-high normal range as an inexpensive and widely available treatment strategy in patients with a broad spectrum of cardiovascular diseases associated with a high risk of ventricular arrhythmia," he said.
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