New Delhi, April 14 (IANS) Eating bananas or broccoli, rich in potassium, may effectively help lower hypertension -- affecting over 30 per cent of adults globally, according to a study on Monday.

Hypertension or high blood pressure is the leading cause of coronary heart disease and stroke and may also lead to other afflictions like chronic kidney disease, heart failure, irregular heartbeats, and dementia.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo, Canada, found that increasing the ratio of dietary potassium to sodium intake may be more effective for curbing blood pressure levels than simply reducing sodium intake.

"Usually, when we have high blood pressure, we are advised to eat less salt," said Anita Layton, Professor of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Pharmacy and Biology at the University of Waterloo.

"Our research suggests that adding more potassium-rich foods to your diet, such as bananas or broccoli, might have a greater positive impact on your blood pressure than just cutting sodium," Layton added.

Potassium and sodium are both electrolytes -- substances that help the body send electrical signals to contract muscles -- affect the amount of water in your body and perform other essential functions.

The study was published in the American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology.

"Early humans ate lots of fruits and vegetables, and as a result, our body's regulatory systems may have evolved to work best with a high potassium, low sodium diet," said lead author Melissa Stadt, a doctoral candidate in Waterloo's Department of Applied Mathematics.

"Today, western diets tend to be much higher in sodium and lower in potassium. That may explain why high blood pressure is found mainly in industrialised societies, not in isolated societies," Stadt said.

To understand how increasing potassium intake can help control blood pressure, the team developed a mathematical model.

The model successfully identifies how the ratio of potassium to sodium impacts the body. It showed that men develop high blood pressure more easily than pre-menopausal women. However, men were also more likely to respond positively to an increased ratio of potassium to sodium.