This is what Swedish experts from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm say.
They came to this conclusion by analyzing ten international studies, which included over 200.000 middle-aged and older people.It was found that with every 1.000 milligrams of potassium intake per day, the risk of stroke in the next five to fourteen years decreases by 11 percent.
Food rich in potassium is generally considered healthy - legumes, various fruits and vegetables, as well as dairy products with low fat content, which is another reason to consume more, notes research leader Suzana Larsom.
Potassium is an electrolyte, needed to maintain fluid balance in the body, and it also affects the function of nerves and muscles, as well as regulating blood pressure.
Potassium is actually associated with a reduced risk of ischemic stroke, caused by a blockage of an artery that feeds the brain.
This type of stroke is the most common - it accounts for 80 percent of cases.
On the other hand, consuming potassium, for reasons still unknown, has no effect on a rarer type of stroke - hemorrhagic stroke, which is characterized by bleeding in the brain.
Potassium, by the way, mitigates the effect of excess sodium on the body, helping to remove excess fluid from it and thus having a favorable effect on blood pressure.
That is why the combination of excessive sodium intake and too little potassium intake is particularly harmful, Swedish experts point out.
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