Essential Nutrients
Potassium
Potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure. Adequate intake of potassium can help to guard against circulatory diseases, like high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Association has authorized a health claim that states: “Diets containing foods that are good sources of potassium and low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.”
Folate
Folate, a nutrient important for heart health. To determine the relationship between folate intake and heart disease, researchers followed over 80,000 women for 14 years using dietary questionnaires. They found that women who had higher intakes of dietary folate had a 55% lower risk of having heart attacks or fatal heart disease. Another study showed that individuals who consume folate-rich diets have a much lower risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke than those who do not consume as much of this vital nutrient. (Bazzano LA, He J, Odgen LG et al. Dietary intake of folate and risk of stroke in US men and women: HANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Stroke 2002 May;33(5):1183-9 2002) (Rimm EB, et al. Folate and vitamin B6 from diet and supplementation in relation to risk of coronary heart disease among women. JAMA 1998;279(5):359-64 1998)