The health benefits of bananas and other potassium-rich foods have long been obvious for some time. Now another study says a diet including the tropical fruit may be effective in preventing stroke.
Writing in the medical journal Circulation, researchers say an eight-year study of 44,000 men indicates those with the highest potassium intakes had a 38 percent lower risk of strokes than others with significantly lower levels.
The scientists caution that potassium supplements should not be taken without checking with a personal physician because of possible effects on the liver. Foods highest in potassium content include bananas, tomatoes, spinach and oranges.
But banana eaters came out on top on the stroke-prevention scale, say the researchers who also noted that men who ate lots of potassium-rich foods also avoided smoking, drank little and generally took better care of themselves than others in the study.
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