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 <30 mL/min/1.73m² and a serum potassium of <3.5 mmol/L or >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.
