DASH Diet Likely Safe for Potassium Levels With Blood Pressure Meds

• A brand new research experiences that the DASH food plan doesn’t considerably enhance potassium ranges in folks taking hypertension treatment.
• Researchers mentioned that the food plan doesn’t seem to trigger vital adjustments in kidney perform.
• Specialists say the DASH food plan gives many well being advantages, however they suggest that individuals regularly combine it into their every day lives.

Researchers additionally reported that individuals taking these drugs don’t expertise vital adjustments of their kidney perform.

Each sorts of drugs are known to extend potassium ranges. Excessive potassium ranges can result in hyperkalemia, a situation that may trigger points with the guts rhythm. Individuals with impaired kidney perform because of chronic kidney disease are at elevated threat of hyperkalemia.

“The DASH diet is a well known, confirmed vitamin sample that’s identified to enhance blood strain,” mentioned Marian Budu, MD, a scientific analysis coordinator on the GoFresh Trials at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Middle in Boston and the presenting creator of the research, in a news release.

“Realizing that the DASH food plan didn’t enhance blood potassium levels on this inhabitants with regular baseline potassium ranges offers assurance that the DASH food plan will be prescribed to a variety of individuals,” she continued.

The preliminary findings are being offered on the American Coronary heart Affiliation’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2026 assembly this week in Virginia. The analysis has not been printed but in a peer-reviewed journal.

Specialists not concerned within the research instructed Healthline that the analysis offers medical professionals with essential data.

“Whereas we have now historically exercised warning earlier than recommending the DASH food plan in sufferers who’re prescribed ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, or potassium-sparing diuretics, these outcomes present that these sufferers might seemingly undertake the DASH food plan with out vital concern for hurt,” mentioned Cheng-Han Chen, MD, an interventional heart specialist and medical director of the Structural Coronary heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Middle in Laguna Hills, CA.

“DASH diets don’t seem to extend potassium ranges to any vital diploma in sufferers taking drugs which might be identified to probably increase serum potassium,” added Kevin Volpp, MD, the founding director of the Penn Middle for Well being Incentives and Behavioral Economics in Pennsylvania and the scientific lead of the American Coronary heart Affiliation’s Well being Care by Meals initiative.

“That is essential as a result of it’s a theoretical concern that diets wealthy in potassium might trigger excessive ranges in potassium in some sufferers.”

The brand new research was a secondary evaluation of the GoFresh and GoFresh Rx randomized trials that enrolled Black adults within the better Boston space with hypertension.

A few of the members have been taking drugs to decrease their blood strain, and others weren’t taking any hypertension medicine.

The evaluation passed off in 2026 and included 356 Black adults with a median age of 53. About 70% have been girls.

The members additionally had various levels of kidney perform. As well as, they’d restricted entry to grocery shops.

Half of the members acquired three months of weekly DASH-patterned groceries and weekly vitamin counseling classes. The opposite half acquired a money stipend each 4 weeks to purchase groceries, with no vitamin counseling.

The members’ blood potassium ranges have been measured in the beginning of the research and once more after 12 weeks.

The researchers reported that consuming extra potassium-rich meals within the DASH food plan didn’t enhance potassium ranges to harmful ranges amongst members taking blood strain drugs.

They famous no vital enhance in potassium ranges, no matter whether or not members have been assigned to the dietary intervention or the financial stipend group.

In a news release, the researchers acknowledged that their research didn’t embody folks with stage 4 or stage 5 kidney illness or these with higher-than-normal potassium ranges.

They added that the research inhabitants comprised solely Black people dwelling in Boston, so the outcomes might not generalize to the broader inhabitants.

The research authors mentioned that future analysis ought to deal with members with suboptimal kidney perform and people with increased potassium ranges.

Volpp agreed that extra analysis is required.

“This research was carried out in sufferers with non-elevated potassium ranges at baseline and doesn’t reply the query of whether or not they’re secure in sufferers with elevated potassium ranges or vital impairments in renal perform,” he instructed Healthline.

Chen famous that potassium ranges needs to be taken significantly.

“Sure courses of blood strain drugs can probably trigger excessive potassium ranges, particularly in folks with kidney illness,” he instructed Healthline. “If potassium ranges grow to be too excessive, this could result in signs comparable to fatigue, nausea, and muscle ache, and even critical coronary heart issues comparable to arrhythmias.”

The DASH diet is a dietary plan that emphasizes fruits, greens, and lean proteins comparable to hen, fish, and beans.

The plan additionally contains complete grains, low fats dairy products, and cooking with vegetable oils. The food plan discourages the consumption of red meat, salt, fats, and added sugars.

Earlier analysis has indicated that the DASH food plan can present quite a few well being advantages.

A preliminary 2022 study concluded that the dietary plan may also help decrease blood strain and enhance coronary heart well being, however these outcomes haven’t been printed in a scientific journal. Nonetheless, the findings have been in keeping with a 2019 study that discovered the DASH food plan may also help decrease the danger of coronary heart illness.

As well as, a 2020 study reported that adults aged 65 and older with obesity misplaced physique fats whereas following the DASH Food plan. A 2023 study steered the food plan may also help scale back stomach fats.

A 2019 meta-analysis steered that the DASH food plan might also assist decrease the danger of sure cancers.

Many of those protecting results are attributed to the food plan’s excessive fruit and vegetable content material.

Chen mentioned the DASH food plan has many advantages, however the consuming plan may not be for everyone.

Chen really useful that individuals ease into the DASH food plan.

“One of the simplest ways to start out on the DASH food plan is to slowly introduce the adjustments to your meals,” he mentioned. “This may be so simple as together with just a few additional servings of vegatables and fruits every day in addition to swapping some complete grain merchandise for refined grains. Over time, extra of the food plan will be included.”

Volpp agreed that introducing the DASH food plan in increments is an efficient technique.

“For many individuals, it’s best to make small incremental adjustments sequentially,” he mentioned. “One technique to get began is to extend fruit by a few servings a day. One other is to concentrate to the quantity of sodium in packaged meals and consciously select merchandise lower in sodium. A 3rd is to make a aware effort to eat extra greens.”

“Make adjustments first which might be best so that you can make; it is going to be simpler to make these adjustments stick,” Volpp added.