Potassium

Potassium is a mineral that helps the kidneys function properly. You can find it in food sources such as bananas, legumes, and other fruits and vegetables. Potassium is also critical to good health in the skeletal and muscular systems of the body and it contributes significantly to good cardiac health.

Although Potassium is definitely a good mineral too much of it can be detrimental and the use of supplements not from food sources should be closely monitored.

why is potassium healthy

In order for your body to continue to function there must be proper muscle contractions--especially for your heart to beat properly. Muscle contractions are controlled by nerve impulses. These nerve impulses are possible through the correct balance of sodium and potassium inside a cell. Sodium concentrations are about 10 times lower than the levels of sodium outside cells. Concentrations of this mineral are 30 times higher inside cells than outside cells. This concentration difference of sodium and potassium creates the membrane potential which is an electrochemical gradient. Pumps inside the cells maintain internal levels of potassium by pumping sodium out in exchange for potassium intake. This exchange accounts for 20 to 40 percent of the expenditure of energy at rest in a human adult which is an indicator of its importance to sustaining life.

why is potassium good for your body

The mechanism that maintains the body's normal distribution of fluid and works closely within the muscle contraction and nerve transmission process is known as the sodium-potassium pump. When the muscle contracts, potassium will leave the cell and sodium will enter it by way of this pump. The exchange will cause a change in the cell's electrical charge and will initiate a nerve impulse or muscle contraction. When the contraction is complete, the sodium in the cell is pumped out so that water will not enter the cell and potassium is then pumped into it. The void left by sodium being pumped out is not replaced with water because sodium attracts water. If water were to enter the cell instead of potassium it would burst, that is why potassium good for your body

low potassium symptoms

If your body has an abnormally low level of potassium then it results in a condition known as hypokalemia. This condition usually occurs from an extreme loss of this mineral caused by some forms of kidney disease, some diuretics, and prolonged vomiting. Other conditions such as alcoholism, overuse of laxatives, anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and congestive heart failure can cause hypokalemia. Symptoms of low potassium levels or hypokalemia include cramps, fatigue, muscle weakness, intestinal paralysis. Intestinal paralysis can cause abdominal pain, bloating, and constipation. If hypokalemia gets more severe, it can result in muscular paralysis and cardiac arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm).

foods rich in potassium

For athletes, potassium deficiencies can be especially troublesome because they can cause weakness, irritability, fatigue and heart disturbances. It is interesting to note that this mineral helps to lower the excretion of calcium thus helping to build strong bones. The National Academy of Sciences recommends a daily intake of potassium between 3,500 and 4,700 mg. Some foods that are high in potassium include potatoes, broccoli, bananas, tomatoes, celery, nectarines, cantaloupe, bell peppers, grapes, and strawberries. Of course there are more foods rich in potassium, but these are the most common ones.

potassium overdose

One must be careful when taking supplements for potassium deficiencies. In the U.S. multivitamin and supplements do not contain more than 99 mg of the mineral per serving. Any dosage higher than that would be used to treat hypokalemia or other depletion of potassium. Supplements higher than 99 mg should be monitored closely. These supplements come in the form of a salt and can include potassium chloride, gluconate, bicarbonate, orotate, aspartate, or citrate. Beware that these supplements can cause serious side effects if not used properly. Thus the decision to use such supplements should be under the care and supervision of one's doctor. If you have a potassium overdose, you should see you doctor immediately.