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Potassium is one of the major minerals used in the body. It is used to regulate sodium, calcium, as well as a host of other nutrients. Total body potassium is in constant turnover, as it is excreted quite rapidly in the urine.
Source
Although bananas have a popular reputation as a high-potassium food, potatoes contain twice as much potassium as bananas and some other vegetables even more. What the banana does have is the highest potassium-to-sodium ratio - 440:1.
All vegetables are sources of potassium; foods and herbs that are especially rich sources include green leafy vegetables, celery, lettuce, turnips, dandelion, mint leaves, cabbage, potatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower, whole grains (oats, rye), oranges, dates, grapes, raisins, figs, apricots, peaches, sunflower seeds, nuts, dried fruits, bananas.
Processing and cooking leaches potassium out of foods. The human digestive tract is well-suited to processing high-potassium raw foods.
Supplement sources include potassium salts (chloride, bicarbonate), chelates (aspartate, citrate, etc.) or food extracts.
Commercial potassium supplements in the U.S. are limited by the FDA to 99mg which happens to be the recommended daily allowance. A prescription is required for higher doses, even though an average banana may contain 500mg and popular "salt substitutes" made from potassium chloride provide 3,180mg of potassium per teaspoon!
Function; Reasons For Use
Potassium intake has been associated with lowering blood pressure and there are a variety of mechanisms to explain this possible interaction. Studies have shown that higher potassium diet populations are correlated with lower blood pressure.
The use of thiazide diuretics can severely reduce potassium levels. Potassium supplementation should be used when on these particular drugs.
Directions
When doctors prescribe potassium supplements, it is usually in the range of 1,500 to 3,000mg per day. When given in high-dose pill form, potassium salts can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and ulcers... the following alternative may be more pleasant:
Potassium (potato peeling) Broth
Potassium improves energy levels generally and especially if you have been sick. If you have lost fluids from nausea or diarrhea, potassium broth is an especially good idea. Potassium broth takes advantage of the fact that the outside of a potato is one of the highest plant sources of potassium. Most people think that bananas have the most potassium. Actually bananas have the highest ratio of potassium to sodium.
Choose several appealing potatoes and use a knife to remove the outside 1/4-1/2 inch, including the skin. This is the part most people throw away! If you want to add some other optional vegetables, by all means do so. You might have fun with carrot (with the skin, of course), celery (stalk and leaves), beet greens, fresh parsley, onion, garlic and any other organically grown green vegetables on hand.
Wash and chop all vegetables into small pieces, then add them to water and simmer for 30-40 minutes in a covered pot. The minerals will leach out of the vegetables and into the water. Strain out the vegetables, cool and drink the water (broth). If you have extra broth, you can store it in glass containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Counter-Indicators and Warnings
Individuals taking certain prescription drugs including digitalis, potassium-sparing diuretics, and some blood pressure drugs (antiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) should consult their doctors before using potassium supplements.
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Potassium can help with the following: | | | | | Autoimmune |  Myasthenia Gravis | The weakness of myasthenia gravis may be improved by potassium consumption, if dietary potassium is low. |
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Circulation |
Hypokalemia
 Arrhythmias/Dysrhythmias| | Potassium deficiency is associated with a slow, irregular heartbeat. When taking drugs that might deplete intracellular potassium, one should supplement with oral potassium. Low potassium may cause muscle cramps or worsen an arrhythmia. Since over-the-counter potassium supplements are limited to 99mg each (about 1/5 that in an average banana), dietary or prescription potassium may be necessary.
Potassium and magnesium may be valuable in preventing tachyarrhythmias in Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. |
Hypertension (High Blood PRessure)| | The blood pressure lowering effect of supplemental potassium may be greater in patients receiving a high-salt diet. The amount of dietary potassium required to achieve this effect is, however, not easily obtained.
When potassium is removed from a healthy person's diet, blood pressure often goes up. If a person already has hypertension, low potassium will raise their blood pressure even further. This is the inverse of excess sodium. Potassium and sodium are needed in balance. Eating too much salt upsets this balance and also contributes to high blood pressure. Interestingly, reducing sodium does not lower blood pressure unless potassium is also increased. |
 Coronary Disease / Heart Attack |
Lab Values |
High Total Cholesterol| | In experiments, potassium-supplemented individuals not only had their high blood pressure reduced but reduced their cholesterol measurements as well, confirming that a deficiency of potassium is associated with hypercholesterolemia. |
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Metabolic |
Metabolic Diet Type |
Musculo-Skeletal |
Osteoporosis - Osteopenia| | Moderate potassium supplementation improves calcium balance in post-menopausal women. [Sebastian A, Harris ST, et al., Improved mineral balance and skeletal metabolism in post-menopausal women treated with potassium bicarbonate. N Engl J Med 330: pp.1776-81, 1994] |
General Weakness| | Sometimes weakness may be improved by potassium consumption, when dietary potassium is low. |
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Nutrients |
Potassium Need |
Organ Health |
Not recommended for:
 Chronic Renal Insufficiency| | Individuals with kidney dysfunction may have trouble excreting potassium and should only take potassium supplements under the observation of their doctor. |
Kidney Disease| | Individuals with kidney dysfunction may have trouble excreting potassium and should only take potassium supplements under the observation of their doctor. |
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KEY | | May do some good | | | Likely to help | | | Highly recommended | | | May have adverse consequences |
GLOSSARY
Arrhythmia (Arrhythmias)
A condition caused by variation in the regular rhythm of the heartbeat. Arrhythmias may cause serious conditions such as shock and congestive heart failure, or even death.
Calcium
The body's most abundant mineral. Its primary function is to help build and maintain bones and teeth. The body also needs calcium to carry nerve signals, keep the heart functioning, contract muscles, clot blood and maintain healthy skin. Calcium helps control blood acid-alkaline balance, plays a role in cell division, muscle growth and iron utilization, activates certain enzymes, and helps transport nutrients through cell membranes. Calcium also forms a cellular cement called ground substance that helps hold cells and tissues together.
Cholesterol
A waxy, fat-like substance manufactured in the liver and found in all tissues, it facilitates the transport and absorption of fatty acids. In foods, only animal products contain cholesterol. An excess of cholesterol in the bloodstream can contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.
Cramp (Cramping, Cramps)
A sudden, involuntary, painful muscular contraction.
Diarrhea
Excessive discharge of contents of bowel.
Diuretic (Diuretics)
An agent increasing urine flow, causing the kidneys to excrete more than the usual amount of sodium, potassium and water.
Enzymes (Enzyme)
Specific protein catalysts produced by the cells that are crucial in chemical reactions and in building up or synthesizing most compounds in the body. Each enzyme performs a specific function without itself being consumed. For example, the digestive enzyme amylase acts on carbohydrates in foods to break them down.
FDA
The (American) Food and Drug Administration. It is the official government agency that is responsible for ensuring that what we put into our bodies - particularly food and drugs - is safe and effective.
Herbs (Herb, Herbal)
Herbs may be used as dried extracts (capsules, powders, teas), glycerites (glycerine extracts), or tinctures (alcohol extracts). Unless otherwise indicated, teas should be made with one teaspoon herb per cup of hot water. Steep covered 5 to 10 minutes for leaf or flowers, and 10 to 20 minutes for roots. Tinctures may be used singly or in combination as noted. The high doses of single herbs suggested may be best taken as dried extracts (in capsules), although tinctures (60 drops four times per day) and teas (4 to 6 cups per day) may also be used.
Hypercholesterolemia
Excess cholesterol in the blood.
Hypertension
High blood pressure. Hypertension increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure because it adds to the workload of the heart, causing it to enlarge and, over time, to weaken; in addition, it may damage the walls of the arteries.
Kidneys (Kidney, Renal)
Bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage. The kidneys are sophisticated reprocessing machines, each day handling about 50 gallons of blood to sift out about half a gallon of waste products and extra water. The waste and extra water become urine, which flows to the bladder through tubes called ureters. The actual filtering occurs in tiny units inside the kidneys called nephrons. Every kidney has about a million nephrons. In a nephron, a glomerulus -- which is a tiny blood vessel, or capillary -- intertwines with a tiny urine-collecting tube called a tubule. A complicated chemical exchange takes place, as waste materials and water leave your blood and enter your urinary system. The kidneys recycle chemicals such as sodium, phosphorus, and potassium and thus regulate their levels. Renal: Pertaining to the kidneys.
Magnesium
An essential mineral. The chief function of magnesium is to activate certain enzymes, especially those related to carbohydrate metabolism. Another role is to maintain the electrical potential across nerve and muscle membranes. It is essential for proper heartbeat and nerve transmission. Magnesium controls many cellular functions. It is involved in protein formation, DNA production and function and in the storage and release of energy in ATP. Magnesium is closely related to calcium and phosphorus in body function. The average adult body contains approximately one ounce of magnesium. It is the fifth mineral in abundance within the body--behind calcium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. Although about 70 percent of the body's magnesium is contained in the teeth and bones, its most important functions are carried out by the remainder which is present in the cells of the soft tissues and in the fluid surrounding those cells.
Metabolism (Metabolic, Metabolize, Metabolizes, Metabolizing)
The chemical processes of living cells in which energy is produced in order to replace and repair tissues and maintain a healthy body. Responsible for the production of energy, biosynthesis of important substances, and degradation of various compounds. Also defined as the sum total of changes in an organism in order to achieve a balance (homeostasis): Catabolic burns up, anabolic stores and builds up; the sum of their work is metabolism.
Milligram (mg, Milligrams)
0.001 or a thousandth of a gram.
Mineral (Minerals)
Plays a vital role in regulating many body functions. They act as catalysts in nerve response, muscle contraction and the metabolism of nutrients in foods. They regulate electrolyte balance and hormonal production, and they strengthen skeletal structures.
Nausea
Symptoms resulting from an inclination to vomit.
Over-The-Counter (OTC, Over The Counter)
A drug or medication that can legally be bought without a doctor's prescription being required.
Potassium
A mineral that serves as an electrolyte and is involved in the balance of fluid within the body. Our bodies contain more than twice as much potassium as sodium (typically 9oz versus 4oz). About 98% of total body potassium is inside our cells. Potassium is the principal cation (positive ion) of the fluid within cells and is important in controlling the activity of the heart, muscles, nervous system and just about every cell in the body. Potassium regulates the water balance and acid-base balance in the blood and tissues. Evidence is showing that potassium is also involved in bone calcification. Potassium is a cofactor in many reactions, especially those involving energy production and muscle building.
Sodium
An essential mineral that our bodies regulate and conserve. Excess sodium retention increases the fluid volume (edema) and low sodium leads to less fluid and relative dehydration. The adult body averages a total content of over 100 grams of sodium, of which a surprising one-third is in bone. A small amount of sodium does get into cell interiors, but this represents only about ten percent of the body content. The remaining 57 percent or so of the body sodium content is in the fluid immediately surrounding the cells, where it is the major cation (positive ion). The role of sodium in the extracellular fluid is maintaining osmotic equilibrium (the proper difference in ions dissolved in the fluids inside and outside the cell) and extracellular fluid volume. Sodium is also involved in nerve impulse transmission, muscle tone and nutrient transport. All of these functions are interrelated with potassium.
Syndrome
A medical condition characterized by a collection of related symptoms (what the patient feels) and signs (what a doctor can observe or measure).
Teaspoon (Teaspoons, tsp)
Equivalent to 5cc (5ml).
Thiazide
A class of diuretics that increase the excretion of sodium and chloride and accompanying volume of water.
Ulcer (Ulceration, Ulcers)
Lesion on the skin or mucous membrane.
Last updated: Oct 08, 2008
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