Overview
- New reports on January 26 highlight GP Chris Steele’s earlier ITV advice that people taking ACE inhibitors should avoid bananas and oranges.
- ACE inhibitors such as captopril, enalapril and fosinopril are widely used for hypertension and heart failure and can increase blood potassium, especially with high-potassium foods or certain salt substitutes.
- Raised potassium may bring abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting and can escalate to chest pain, heart palpitations and irregular or rapid heartbeats.
- Patients are urged to tell their GP if they take potassium supplements or diuretics and to avoid large quantities of potassium-rich foods rather than changing diets without medical guidance.
- The articles cite NHS advice on five-a-day and an adult potassium need of about 3,500 mg, and suggest lower-potassium options such as apples, berries, grapes, pineapple, pears and watermelon while noting no new official guidance.