BONE HEALTH

American Diets Are Coming Up Short On Potassium
New Study Finds Milk is Major Contributor of this "Forgotten" Nutrient (04/2005)

A study published in the April 2005 Journal of the American College of Nutrition suggests that drinking milk is vital to getting adequate amounts of potassium, a nutrient that most Americans don't get enough of. The research conducted at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, found that only those people who drank milk met the current recommendations for potassium. In fact, milk contributes more potassium in the American diet than any other food.

The recommended potassium intake for adults is 4,700 mg each day, however, more than 90 percent of Americans are not meeting these recommendations. Potassium is one of the "problem" nutrients called out in the recently released Dietary Guidelines for Americans because it's one of the seven nutrients that are chronically low in the typical American diet. Getting too little potassium could increase your risk of high blood pressure and stroke. Potassium has also been linked to better bone density, along with calcium.