A systematic review of vascular and endothelial function: Effects of fruit, vegetable and potassium intake

• Increasing dietary potassium appears to improve endothelial function.
• The effect of dietary potassium on vascular function is less clear.
• In population studies fruit and vegetables are linked to better vascular function.
• The effect of fruit and vegetable interventions on vascular function is mixed.

AimTo review the relationships between: 1) Potassium and endothelial function; 2) Fruits and vegetables and endothelial function; 3) Potassium and other measures of vascular function; 4) Fruits and vegetables and other measures of vascular function.Data synthesisAn electronic search for intervention trials investigating the effect of potassium, fruits and vegetables on vascular function was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library. Potassium appears to improve endothelial function with a dose of >40 mmol/d, however the mechanisms for this effect remain unclear. Potassium may improve measures of vascular function however this effect may be dependent on the effect of potassium on blood pressure. The effect of fruit and vegetables on endothelial function independent of confounding variables is less clear. Increased fruit and vegetable intake may improve vascular function only in high risk populations.ConclusionIncreasing dietary potassium appears to improve vascular function but the effect of increasing fruit and vegetable intake per se on vascular function is less clear.