What Is Potassium For In Your Body – Potassium is an essential mineral needed by all tissues in the body. It is sometimes called an electrolyte because it carries a small electrical charge that activates various cell and nerve functions. Potassium is found naturally in many foods and in supplements. Its main role in the body is to help maintain a normal level of fluid in our cells. Sodium, its counterpart, maintains normal fluid levels outside cells. Potassium also helps build muscle and supports normal blood pressure.

The US Dietary Reference Intakes states that there is insufficient evidence to establish a Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for potassium. However, the National Academy of Medicine has established an Adequate Intake (AI) for potassium. [1]

What Is Potassium For In Your Body

The average daily intake of potassium in adults is estimated to be about 2,320 mg for women and 3,016 mg for men. [2]

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Potassium and sodium are closely related, but have opposite effects in the body. Both are essential nutrients that play a key role in maintaining physiological balance, and both have been linked to the risk of chronic disease, particularly cardiovascular disease. A high salt intake increases blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease, while a high potassium intake can help relax blood vessels and eliminate sodium while lowering blood pressure. Our bodies need more potassium than sodium each day, but the typical U.S. diet is the opposite: Americans get an average of about 3,300 milligrams of sodium per day, about 75% of which comes from processed foods, but only about 2,900. milligrams of potassium each day. [3, 4]

Estimating people’s sodium intake can be difficult, and the most accurate method known is to measure 24 urine samples over several days. These Harvard researchers included the Nurses’ Health Studies I and II, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, the Prevention of Kidney and Vascular Disease and the Prevention of End-Stage Vascular Disease, and the Prevention of Hypertension Studies. [17] They looked at both sodium and potassium intake in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk (as indicated by heart attack, stroke, or a procedure or surgery needed to repair heart damage) and from each participant measured two or more urine samples. . After controlling for CVD risk factors, they found that higher sodium intake was associated with higher CVD risk. Each 1000 mg increase in urinary sodium per day increased the risk of CHD by 18%. But for every 1000 mg increase in potassium, 18%

CVD risk. They also found that a higher sodium-to-potassium ratio was associated with a higher CVD risk, with a higher ratio of salty foods to potassium-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and low-fat dairy products.

Calcium is one of the most important nutrients needed for bone health. When the loss of calcium from the body exceeds the amount of calcium absorbed, a condition called “negative calcium balance” occurs, which can lead to bone loss. This most often occurs when the diet is too low in calcium or vitamin D, or in people who have digestive problems that interfere with calcium absorption. People with thyroid or kidney problems may lose too much calcium in their urine.

How To Get Enough Potassium In Your Diet

Another theory, called the “acid-base balance” or “acid-base theory,” suggests that a high dietary acid load (such as that caused by a high meat and low fruit/vegetable intake) can cause bone loss if calcium is pulled from the bones. to help neutralize acid. The breakdown of animal proteins and grains high in phosphorus and sulfates is believed to produce acid in the body. This causes the kidneys to flush out acid and calcium in the urine.

Potassium-rich foods can have a buffering “alkalizing” effect because they contain compounds that can be converted to bicarbonate, which helps neutralize acids in the body and protects bones. Observational studies have found that high potassium intake from fruits and vegetables is associated with higher bone density. [10] However, observational studies have not shown that high protein intake adversely affects bone health or fracture risk; In fact, higher protein intake protects against fractures in the elderly. Thus, the acid-base theory of bone health is still unclear.

A high-potassium DASH diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products has been found to lower markers of bone turnover. [10, 11] However, there are other dietary factors of DASH (low sodium, adequate calcium) that may contribute to this result, not just potassium. Animal studies have shown that active plant chemicals and polyphenols found in fruits and vegetables may also play a role in bone health.

Randomized controlled trials giving postmenopausal women potassium supplements or placebo have not consistently found a benefit of fewer bone fractures or increased bone mineral density with higher potassium intake than supplements. [12, 13]

Top Potassium Rich Foods And How They Benefit You

A National Academy of Medicine report concluded that potassium-rich foods may have certain components, such as bicarbonate production, that can improve bone mineral density; however, these foods may contain other nutrients and phytochemicals that are beneficial to bone health, making it difficult to conclude that potassium alone affects bone health. [1]

A potassium-rich diet helps prevent calcium from being excreted in the urine and may also help prevent calcium from being absorbed from bone into the blood. Calcium that is not reabsorbed is excreted in the urine, which can increase the risk of crystal formation that can lead to kidney stones.

A review of three large prospective cohort studies, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Nurses’ Health Studies I and II, found that higher potassium intake was associated with lower stone risk in all three cohorts. Higher intakes were particularly associated with higher urine and urinary citrate concentrations (resulting from increased water intake from fruits and vegetables), both of which are protective factors against stones. [14]

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the American College of Physicians reviewed randomized controlled trials that looked at medical management to prevent recurrent kidney stones. [15] A review found that people with a history of kidney stones who increased their potassium intake through potassium citrate supplements significantly reduced their risk of developing subsequent stones, given that they also increased their fluid intake.

The Importance Of Potassium

You may have heard of the acid-alkaline diet promoted for weight loss or cancer prevention. It became famous when authors claimed that eating certain “alkaline” foods could counterbalance the effects of a highly “acidic” diet, which can lead to various chronic diseases. Most health experts have dismissed these claims because it is nearly impossible to dramatically change blood pH in healthy people through diet alone. The body tightly regulates blood pH to about 7.4, because swinging too much acid or alkali can be life-threatening.

However, it is true that the metabolism of certain foods can produce bicarbonates that neutralize acids in the body. [1] Potassium-rich foods that have an alkalizing effect include fruits, vegetables, almonds, and lentils. One theory suggests that long-term high intake of protein foods such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and eggs, as well as whole grains, can cause a condition called low-grade metabolic acidosis due to their high sulfate and phosphate content. [10, 16] This occurs especially when the diet lacks enough balancing potassium-rich foods. The condition is sometimes referred to as the “acid-ash hypothesis,” which can cause a very slight drop in blood pH, although it is still within the normal range. Theories suggest that even such a small change can increase the risk of developing conditions such as kidney stones and bone loss.

FEATURES: Although the theories in this area are compelling, the evidence is still conflicting and controlled trials have not shown that diet can significantly change blood pH in healthy people. Therefore, it is too early to make specific recommendations based on this theory.

Potassium is widely available in many foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Starchy vegetables such as leafy greens, beans, nuts, dairy products, and winter squash are rich sources.

The Importance Of Electrolytes

The kidneys work to maintain normal levels of potassium in the blood by excreting excess potassium through the urine. Potassium can also be lost through feces and sweat. Due to normal daily losses, at least 400-800 mg per day is needed from food. Any condition that increases fluid loss beyond normal, such as vomiting, diarrhea, and certain medications such as diuretics, can cause a deficiency.

. Hypokalemia is most common in hospitalized patients receiving medications that cause excess potassium excretion from the body. It is also seen in people with inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis), which can cause diarrhea and malabsorption of nutrients.

Potassium deficiency is rarely caused by too little food intake because it is found in many foods; however, inadequate intake can occur quickly with severe sweating, diuretic use, laxative abuse, or severe nausea and vomiting.

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