What food should you eat to help prevent strokes?
September 29th 2010 19:11
Signature Tune
Here's a carb you shouldn't have any qualms about eating, because it's loaded with a stroke-stopping ingredient: potatoes.
Whether you favor fingerling, red, or russets, spuds are loaded with potassium. And in a recent study, men and women who consumed the most potassium had a 20 percent lower risk of stroke compared with those who consumed the least amount of the mineral.
The Makings of a Mineral
The reason potassium has such health charms? Turns out the mineral helps lower blood pressure, an important risk factor for stroke. Potassium somehow softens the effect that sodium has on blood pressure, helping to keep it under wraps. And potassium may also hamper hardening of the arteries and the formation of clots -- more bad things that can set the stage for strokes.
Top Tater
How much extra potassium did the top consumers get in the study? If you had a glass of orange juice for breakfast, a quarter cup of raisins for a snack, and a baked potato for dinner (with the skin), you'd get an additional 1,600 milligrams -- an amount that would nudge you into the high-potassium group. Not getting your fill of this blood-pressure-friendly nutrient? Don't take a supplement; it's safest to get your potassium from food
From: Real Age available free on the web
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