Health and Potassium Balance
How Making Sure of Enough Potassium in Your Diet Can Prevent Illness
Apr 11, 2008
Dieticians and Nutrition specialists are becoming increasingly aware of the key role potassium plays in the function of a healthy body.
Potassium in its natural state is a soft silvery-white metallic alkali metal bound to other elements in seawater and many minerals. With the exception of calcium and phosphorus, no other mineral is as abundant in the human body as potassium.
Potassium is a kind of unsung hero in the human body; effective at lowering blood pressure, with as little as a one to two percent reduction translates into a reduced risk of strokes. Potassium also helps reduce the incidence of kidney stones and heart irregularities. Potassium even appears to benefit bones by neutralizing acids in the bloodstream that leach calcium from bone deposits.
Potassium’s neutralizing properties have also been noted to aid in the breakdown and excretion of alcohol from the blood stream, effectively reducing the effects of a hangover. However, this research is equivocal with many studies suggesting it is all hype.
National health and nutrition officials suggest that the current guideline for potassium is up to 5 grams a day, but most people in western cultures don't even get close.
It is unlikely to have a dietary deficiency of potassium, as it is present in a large number of foods. However deficiency can occur when there are large losses resulting from excessive urination or from prolonged vomiting and diarrhoea. Low potassium can occur from the use of certain medicines. A potassium deficiency most commonly occurs in those who have a consistently low potassium diet.
A deficiency of potassium causes muscle weakness, brittle bones, fatigue, heart rhythm problems, paralysis, and kidney dysfunction.
Foods high in potassium include molasses, sweet potato, bananas, dates and figs, tomato juice, raisins, and apricots. Other good sources of potassium in food include cantaloupe melons, oranges, and almonds. A single cup of sweet potato has 950 milligrams. Four figs add up to 540; a cup of cantaloupe, 500, and a glass of orange juice is 450 mg.
Potassium chloride - Potassium supplementation
Potassium chloride is in the class of drugs called potassium supplements, which are used to treat low potassium conditions or prevent them from occurring. Potassium is the principal positive ion inside of the cells of the body and is used in nerve conduction, muscle contraction, and normal kidney function. Brand names of potassium chloride include K-Dur, K-Lor, K-Tab, Kaon CL, Klorvess, Slow-K, Ten-K, Klotrix, K-Lyte CL and many others.
