What Happens If Your Potassium Is Low

What Happens If Your Potassium Is Low – Hypokalemia is the main indication for potassium supplementation. However, people with other diseases can also benefit from supplementing this element. Swollen legs, constant sleepiness, headaches, tremors in the calves or thighs, mood swings and irregular heartbeats can mean you don’t have enough potassium in your diet.

Potassium is one of the most important elements in the body. As an electrolyte, it is responsible for maintaining the correct voltage on cell membranes and transferring electrical impulses between cells. This means that it controls the work of the muscles, including the heart, and is responsible for each heartbeat. To participate in the process of building amino acids and proteins, it is also responsible for the correct process of muscles and muscle mass, and through the antagonism of magnesium, for proper muscle tone.

What Happens If Your Potassium Is Low

Potassium also helps to eliminate excess fluid from the body, which is particularly important when sodium intake is too high (as in modern society), since one of the things that excess sodium cause is fluid retention and limb edema. As an antagonist of sodium, potassium regulates the amount of water, reduces inflammation and simultaneously reduces blood pressure. By controlling water and acid-base balance, it helps maintain homeostasis throughout the body.

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Potassium absorption occurs in the small intestine, and the main organs that maintain constant concentrations are the kidneys. Only 8% of potassium is excreted from the digestive tract. However, this value increases in patients with renal failure. Too much potassium removed from the body causes a deficiency, i.e. hypokalemia.

Serious symptoms of potassium deficiency appear only when there is a large drop in the concentration of this element, and disappear relatively quickly after the levels are recovered. However, milder potassium deficiency can also cause unpleasant ailments, such as general fatigue, water retention, swelling of the limbs, spontaneous tremors in the thighs or calves, and headaches. .

The risk of severe potassium deficiency increases in the elderly, in which the main factor contributing to this is an insufficient intake of potassium, an increased loss of potassium through the digestive tract, and the frequent use of medications that increase their excretion.

, the recommended daily intake of potassium is a minimum of 4,700 mg, and for women who are breastfeeding 5,100 mg. Potassium can be found in many foods. It is in almost all types of meat – white and red, as well as in fish and vegetables. Good sources include broccoli, spinach, legumes – peas and beans – and potatoes (especially the skin), tomatoes and squash. Potassium can also be found in fruits such as bananas, kiwis, citrus fruits, plums and apricots (higher in dried apricots). Milk, yogurt and nuts also have potassium.

What Causes Low Potassium? How To Treat Hypokalemia

Unfortunately, it is well known that nutrients, for various reasons (including illness), may not be absorbed by food, or the food itself is so poor in nutrients that it does not meet the need. Building an optimal diet is not easy. For example, the average content of potassium in the diet of hypertensive patients provides only about 70% of the RDI, which is caused by insufficient consumption of vegetables and fruits. Therefore, if potassium supply needs to be increased, supplementation should be considered.

The first thing to do is to determine the potassium levels in your body. Information on whether your system has a deficiency, an excess or the level of potassium is normal can be obtained from the results of the elemental hair analysis (EHA). The results reflect the concentration of potassium in the body, and the levels of the remaining 28 elements are a suggestion for the reason for the possible deficiency of potassium and the invaluable help to choose the appropriate treatment and supplementation. Results showing severe potassium deficiency require a more targeted diagnosis.

Potassium supplementation is necessary in hypokalemia. It should also be considered in people who are at risk of potassium deficiency (without hypokalemia). The risk group includes the elderly and people with hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, after a stroke, with nephrolithiasis or osteoporosis.

There are research results that show the benefits of increasing potassium intake in adults with hypertension. Studies have shown a reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as a lower risk of stroke by an average of 24%. At the same time, no adverse effects of increased potassium intake on renal function were observed.

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In animal studies, a reduction in the risk of thrombosis due to the increase in the supply of potassium, and a decrease in the excretion of urinary calcium are also observed. It has also been shown that patients who excrete more potassium have a lower risk of developing urinary stones. The reduction of calcium excretion in people with a high intake of potassium is also a reason why the risk of developing osteoporosis is reduced.

Determining the type of potassium supplementation requires an individual approach that takes into account the condition of the body’s organs responsible for regulating this element. Currently, the most common forms of potassium (potassium chloride) are tablets or capsules. However, the liquid form of the supplement is better absorbed by the body. When choosing a product, take note of the potassium content.

Factors that require special caution during potassium supplementation include, but are not limited to, long-term bedridden illness, low fluid intake, difficulty swallowing, gastroparesis and medications. Potassium products should be taken after meals with at least 100 ml of water at room temperature, and you should stand or sit for about 10 minutes.

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What Causes High Potassium Levels

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This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages. Does gluten cause potassium deficiency? Are those with a celiac diagnosis or gluten sensitivity concerned about supplementing potassium in their diet? The simple answer is yes, but before diving into the connection between gluten sensitivity and potassium deficiency, let’s look at why this electrolyte is such an important mineral needed for the health and well-being of your body.

Potassium: Deficiency Signs And What To Do About It

Potassium is a mineral and an electrolyte. It dissolves in the water component of body fluids and creates positively charged ions. Many vital functions in your body rely on these electrically charged ions to function effectively and efficiently.

So let’s take a closer look at the key roles of potassium. Then we will discuss how gluten causes potassium deficiency and the problems that can occur as a result followed by a list of healthy and potassium-rich foods to boost your intake.

Your body contains a variety of fluids. Some are inside your cells (intracellular) and others, like blood, are outside your cells (extracellular). And all these fluids contain water. So electrolytes, like potassium and sodium, help maintain an optimal water balance between your intracellular fluids and extracellular fluids.

You’ve probably heard that your body is made up mostly of water, which is true. 60% to be exact. Also, a large part of this water is found in your cells. And potassium is the main electrolyte in your intracellular fluid. So potassium controls the amount of water in your cells, while sodium controls the concentration of water outside your cells.

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If your cells lose too much water due to a lack of potassium, they become dehydrated. They can decrease and become dysfunctional. On the other hand, too much potassium can cause your cells to swell.

Thus, potassium is necessary to help balance the fluids in your body. So your cells are working well. So they are able to get the nutrients and oxygen they need to function and also get rid of waste. Fluid and electrolyte balance also helps maintain optimal ph. .

When potassium ions move out of a cell and sodium ions move into a cell, the voltage of the cell changes. This creates a nerve impulse, which is how nerve cells communicate with each other and trigger events such as muscle contractions and heartbeats. So potassium is needed by your nervous system to send vital signals throughout your body.

We know that dietary potassium can significantly reduce blood pressure. Because potassium helps relax the smooth muscles that stretch the walls of your blood vessels. Also, the more potassium you absorb, the more sodium you excrete. Thus, due to these effects, dietary potassium can help reduce the risk of addiction

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