"If You Want to Lower Your Blood Pressure, Eat This Fruit Every Day," Nutrition Experts Recommend

Bananas Rich in Potassium Help Relax Blood Vessels
Also Contain Magnesium and Antioxidants

If you need to manage your blood pressure, nutrition experts recommend eating a banana every day.

According to recent reports by the health information platform Verywell Health, four nutritionists including U.S. registered dietitians Julia Pumplano and Elizabeth Klingbeil have unanimously cited bananas as a fruit that helps with blood pressure management. The reason is the high potassium content in bananas. A medium-sized banana contains about 422 mg of potassium. Potassium helps promote the excretion of sodium from the body and relaxes blood vessels. Consuming a high amount of sodium increases body fluid and blood volume, which in turn raises blood pressure. However, sufficient potassium intake can partly counteract this process.

Magnesium and antioxidant compounds in bananas also have beneficial effects on vascular health. "The potassium and magnesium in bananas help relax the tension in blood vessel walls and dilate the vessels," explained Pumplano. "When blood vessels widen, blood flows more smoothly, which reduces the strain on the cardiovascular system." Bananas also contain antioxidant compounds such as catechins, which reduce vascular damage caused by oxidative stress and inflammation.

However, the benefits do not increase proportionally the more bananas you eat. Overconsumption can lead to side effects, such as weight gain or a rapid spike in blood sugar levels. For healthy adults, one medium-sized banana a day is sufficient. Klingbeil stated, "There is no clear guideline for how many bananas one should eat to control blood pressure, but including one medium-sized banana in your daily diet can be helpful."

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the daily sodium intake among Koreans decreased from 4,789 mg in 2011 to 3,136 mg in 2023, but this is still 1.6 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended guideline of 2,000 mg. On the other hand, potassium is classified as a nutrient, along with calcium, vitamin A, and folic acid, for which intake levels fall below dietary recommendations. In other words, sodium is in excess while potassium is lacking. An analysis of 143,050 adults by a Severance Hospital research team, using Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study data, showed that the top 20% group for potassium intake had a 21% lower overall mortality rate and a 32% lower cardiovascular mortality rate compared to the lowest 20% group.

However, people with impaired kidney function should be cautious about banana consumption. If the body cannot properly excrete the potassium obtained from bananas, the potassium level in the body may rise excessively. For those with kidney disease or those taking medication that affects potassium levels, it is safest to consult with healthcare professionals or nutritionists before including bananas in the diet.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.