AHA: Increased Potassium Intake With DASH Diet Does Not Lead to Hyperkalemia

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 14, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For adults taking potassium-raising medications, greater consumption of dietary potassium as part of a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is not associated with hyperkalemia, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association Hypertension Scientific Sessions, held Oct. 7 to 11 in Arlington, Virginia.Marian Budu, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues examined the extent to which DASH diet adherence increases hyperkalemia risk in adults taking potassium-raising medications across varying degrees of kidney function. In two trials, researchers recruited 356 Black adults with and without treated hypertension, who were assigned to three months of weekly DASH-patterned groceries (ordered to target 4,700 mg/day potassium with a potassium-to-sodium ratio of 2:1) or self-directed monetary stipends every four weeks. Adults with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 5.0 mmol/L were excluded.The researchers found that mean serum potassium was 4.16 and 4.18 mmol/L in the grocery-intervention and self-directed groups, respectively. Seven percent of participants had an eGFR of 30 to 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, and 40 percent had an eGFR of 60 to 90 mL/min/1.73 m2. There was no difference for the effect of the intervention on serum potassium based on medication used (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors/aldosterone receptor blockers, potassium-sparing diuretics, beta-blockers, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Regardless of hypertension treatment, the effect of baseline eGFR on serum potassium did not differ by intervention across potassium-raising medications."Knowing that the DASH diet did not increase blood potassium levels in this population with normal baseline potassium levels provides assurance that the DASH diet can be prescribed to a wide range of people," Budu said in a statement.Press ReleaseMore Information.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

AHA: Increased Potassium Intake With DASH Diet Does Not Lead to Hyperkalemia

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