New research is challenging the long-held belief that the way to control blood pressure is to toss away the salt shaker.

The report also found that upping potassium levels is a better way of lowering blood pressure than the commonly held belief to restrict sodium levels.

This finding makes sense, top expert Dr. David Brownstein tells Newsmax Health.

“Generally, potassium levels helps to balance out blood pressure by balancing out the effects of salt,” says Brownstein, a board-certified family physician and medical director for the Center for Holistic Medicine in West Bloomfield, Mich.

For the study, the researchers followed 2,632 men and women ages 30 to 64 years old, who were part of the Framingham Offspring Study.

The participants had normal blood pressure at the study's start. But over the course of the 16-year follow-up study, those who consumed less than 2,500 milligrams of sodium a day had higher blood pressure than participants who consumed higher amounts of sodium.

"We saw no evidence that a diet lower in sodium had any long-term beneficial effects on blood pressure," said researcher Dr. Lynne S. Moore, who presented the report at Experimental Biology 2017 in Chicago.

This new study contradicts the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which warns that too much sodium can put Americans at risk for serious medical conditions, like high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

Previous studies have found what researchers call a J-shaped relationship between sodium and cardiovascular risk.

This means that people who follow low-sodium diets and people with a very high sodium intake (above the usual intake of the average American) had higher risks of heart disease, while those with the lowest risk had sodium intakes in the middle, which is the range consumed by most Americans.

New research by Finnish researchers appears to underscore this J-shaped relationship.

That study, presented Sunday at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona, finds that people who consume more than 13,700 milligrams of salt daily – about 2.5 teaspoons – had double the risk of heart failure than low-salt consumers.

The average American consumes more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day, the American Heart Association (AHA) says. On the other hand, the AHA says that Americans should consume no more than 2,300 milligrams, and that less than 1,200 milligrams would be “ideal.”

But the study found that the people with the lowest blood pressure consumed 4,000 milligrams of salt a day, more than three times the AHA’s “ideal” level.

Those consuming from 2,500 milligrams to 4,000 milligrams a day had very slightly higher blood pressure, but significantly below the levels of the low-sodium group.

The researchers also found that people in the study who had higher intakes of potassium, calcium, and magnesium had lower blood pressure over the long term, the study found.

“Limiting salt has been shown in multiple studies to either do nothing or may very minimally lower blood pressure by only a few points,” agrees Brownstein, a Newsmax contributor and editor of the Natural Way to Health.

Instead of restricting salt intake, people instead should choose unrefined salt, which is made without chloride, or toxic chemicals, says Brownstein, author of the book “Salt Your Way to Health.”

Boosting potassium is also a good way to balance out any negative effects of salt, he says.

“We don’t store it in our body so we need to replenish it on a daily basis by eating foods that are higher in it,” he says.

Federal health officials recommend that adults consumer 4,700 mg per day of potassium.

These foods are among the highest in potassium (per average serving)

Here are registered dietician Vicki Shanta Retelny’s tips on incorporating potassium-rich foods into your diet:

• Lentils: 677 mg
• Avocados: 485 mg
• Bananas: 358 mg
• Yogurt: 380 mg 
• Milk: 349 mg
• Peas: 244 mg
• Strawberries: 153 mg
• Blueberries: 77 mg

Here are registered dietician Vicki Shanta Retelny’s tips on incorporating potassium-rich foods into your diet:

• Snack on a handful of pistachio nuts, which has the same potassium content as a small banana.
• Top a slice of whole grain toast with a half of a sliced avocado and add a dash of smoked paprika.
• Toss blueberries or strawberries over your morning cereal with milk or yogurt.
• Mix peas along with other vegetables to make pasta primavera.
• Make a hearty lentil soup and serve with salad for dinner.
• Dip bananas in chocolate and freeze for a tasty dessert.