More fruits will increase potassium

Dear Dr. Roach: I am 84 years old. I recently read that most Americans don’t get enough potassium, which lowers blood pressure. Assuming I was one of the majority, I started taking a potassium supplement. Wise or not?

C.H.

Answer: A large 2012 study examining dietary habits concluded that the vast majority of Americans consume too much sodium and too little potassium. Increasing potassium uptake almost always lowers blood pressure.

However, I still recommend lowering sodium and increasing potassium through diet rather than supplementation.

Less meat, less processed foods and of course less salt added to food all will decrease sodium. More fruits and vegetables will increase potassium.

In addition, this dietary change has many other benefits, with the net effect of decreasing heart disease and cancer risk.

I don’t recommend a potassium supplement without a specific recommendation from your physician.

In general, there are very few (if any) supplements that benefit a healthy person with a good diet.

Dear Dr. Roach: I am 80 years old. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. I am taking methimazole 10 milligrams, two tabs daily. Whenever the endocrinologist reduces the tablets to once daily, my TSH remains low. I am also taking metoprolol. I read that beta blockers interfere with the absorption of methimazole. Should I take a different medication?

M.W.

Answer: I was surprised to hear you read beta blockers block absorption of methimazole — nothing in medical literature supports that. It is true that once a person has gone from hyperthyroid to normal thyroid, the body can absorb metoprolol better, so the dose may need to be decreased.

TSH is “thyroid stimulating hormone,” the body’s signal to release thyroid hormone. In people with hyperthyroidism due to a problem with the gland, the TSH level is very low. More methimazole would be expected to raise the TSH, while decreasing the dose should make TSH lower.