A number of studies indicate that groups with relatively high dietary potassium intakes have lower blood pressures than comparable groups with relatively low potassium intakes (29). Data on more than 17,000 adults who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) indicated that higher dietary potassium intakes were associated with significantly lower blood pressures (30). The results of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trial provided further support for the beneficial effects of a potassium-rich diet on blood pressure (31). Compared to a control diet providing only 3.5 servings/day of fruits and vegetables and 1,700 mg/day of potassium, consumption of a diet including 8.5 servings/day of fruits and vegetables and 4,100 mg/day of potassium lowered blood pressure by an average of 2.8/1.1 mm Hg (systolic BP/diastolic BP) in all subjects and by an average of 7.2/2.8 mm Hg in those with hypertension. More information about the DASH trial is included in the article on Sodium.