Need to lower potassium

My father has kidney disease & has high blood pressure. He needs to watch his diet by limiting potassium-rich foods. If the dosage of his high blood pressure medicine is reduced, could he then eat more potassium-rich foods to lower his blood pressure?

Hi and thank you for your post. Reducing blood pressure medication will not allow your father to eat more potassium-rich foods. Also, high potassium foods do not directly lower blood pressure. The reason for your father’s potassium restriction is likely due to his kidney disease and not his blood pressure. Thus, I would have to assume that only an improvement in his kidney disease would allow him to include more potassium in his diet. You may want to speak with his doctor and/or dietitian to get a clearer picture of his medical condition. Some patients are able to lower their blood pressure following the DASH diet or a low sodium diet. I hope this answers your question. Please let me know if you have any other questions about this.
Thanks so much.

LeeAnn Smith, MPH, RD

Thank you for your response. I guess I am confused because when I researched the blood pressure medicine, lisinopril (an ACE inhibitor), which he takes, the research says that this medicine can increase one’s potassium level. So, I thought that if one reduces the dosage of this medicine, then the potassium level would also be reduced. And, if his potassium is lower, he can eat the foods listed under the high-potassium category, as those are the foods he enjoys. The DASH diet sounds good since it includes fruits & vegetables, which he would like to eat, but many of them are high in potassium and his goal is to reduce his potassium level. He has been sticking to the lower potassium foods which makes his food choices very limited. See the dilemma here? Can you offer any additional suggestions? Thanks so much!

Yes, I understand the dilemma. It might be helpful to clarify with the physician who prescribed the Lisinopril if the potassium restriction is due to this medication. However, it is typical for individuals with kidney disease to need to limit potassium foods regardless of medications taken. The restriction is due to a decreased removal of potassium from the body by the kidneys via urine. Therefore, my thought is that even if your father was not taking Lisinopril he would still need to restrict dietary potassium. Please discuss this with his MD to be sure. Does your father have a renal dietitian? A dietitian can teach your father how to include a variety of lower potassium fruits and vegetables in his diet while avoiding higher potassium foods. A dietitian would assess his blood potassium levels and food preferences to help him with meal planning. Good luck.

LeeAnn Smith, MPH, RD

Unfortunately, my father doesn’t have a renal dietician. You are probably correct when you say that he probably has to limit his potassium because of his kidney disease and not necessarily because of the medication. I do appreciate your explanation of this. Thanks again, for taking the time to answer.