Why we increase Ca+2 &K+ intake in diet for lifestyle modification for hypertensive patients?
Potassium supplements, 40-80 meq/day, lower blood pressure, an effect that is largely lost in patients who are also on a low sodium diet. The mechanism by which potassium intake might be related to hypertension and vascular disease is uncertain. The beneficial effect of potassium may be related in part to decreased vascular responsiveness to vasopressors, such as norepinephrine. The relation between potassium and blood pressure appears to be related to changes in sodium excretion: potassium depletion diminishes while potassium loading increases sodium excretion, apparently through changes in proximal or loop sodium reabsorption. A large number of conflicting studies and trials have examined the correlation between calcium intake and BP. There appears to be an inverse relation between dietary calcium intake and BP; thus, increased dairy consumption is postulated to help prevent hypertension as well as osteoporosis. However, this effect is too small to recommend the use of these suppleme
