In the world of blood pressure drugs, diuretics seem like the lesser evil. They work by helping the body flush excess water and sodium from the body, which relaxes the blood vessels and brings down blood pressure. And since they're so cheap, they're often the first line of defense for many people battling hypertension. But researchers from Johns Hopkins recently discovered that, as effective as diuretics are for lowering blood pressure, they may actually be causing a much bigger problem – diabetes.

Those of you that take diuretics likely already know that while they're flushing water and sodium from your system, these drugs also wash away your body's potassium stores. It's this side effect that causes an increased risk of diabetes. In fact, the Hopkins researchers found that even a marginal drop in potassium levels brought on by diuretics caused a massive spike in diabetes risk – upping the chances of developing this disease by 45%.

Given how common diuretics are, it's not such a stretch to think that they may have played a significant role in the diabetes epidemic we're facing these days.

The researchers claim that this risk is quite manageable just by increasing your potassium intake (and I will give them credit for suggesting a natural approach – eating potassium-rich foods like bananas and oranges – over another drug). But wouldn't it make more sense to replace the diuretics altogether? Particularly with something all-natural that doesn't wreak  havoc in your body while it's doing its job?