Suboptimal potassium intake and potential impact on population blood pressure.

S mall reductions in blood pressure (BP) on a population level could have a substantial impact on cardiovascular disease risk. This is especially relevant considering that the majority of the population has suboptimal BP levels. Dietary sodium reduction is a clearly established lifestyle change that has great potential to improve public health. Potassium, on the contrary, received much less attention. Nevertheless, a substantial body of data shows that increasing potassium intake lowers BP. We reviewed population data on potassium intake and estimated the potential impact of increased potassium intake on population BP levels.