All You Need to Know About Potassium and Low Potassium Side Effects
Topics
What is Potassium?
To sustain the pH level of fluids in our body we need potassium to be healthy. Some people don't know the importance of potassium in our body system. Maybe you will ask what is potassium, and its role in our body. Potassium is best known as an important nutrient. One of the role of potassium is in protein synthesis, muscle growth, contractions and nerve cells functions. It also helps to regulate the outside of the cell and the water balance in our body. Potassium rich foods are important to regulate our nervous system, adrenal and muscle activity, heart and kidney function, bone mass and maintain good blood pressure. To avoid health problems and diseases a balanced diet and foods with potassium is recommended by eating fruits, vegetables and other foods with good potassium level. Complete list of Potassium Rich Foods
What are the Foods with High Potassium Content
| Foods Rich in Potassium | Serving Size | Potassium Content |
|---|---|---|
| Raisins | 1 Cup | 1089 mg |
| Banana | 1 cup | 594 mg |
| Cantaloupe | 1 cup | 427 mg |
| Apricots, dried | 10 halves | 407 mg |
| Papaya | 1 medium | 360 mg |
| Strawberries | 1 cup | 254 mg |
| Foods Rich in Potassium | Serving Size | Potassium Content |
|---|---|---|
| Potato, baked | 1 potato | 1081 mg |
| Lima beans | 1 cup | 959 mg |
| Tomato products, canned sauce | 1 cup | 909 mg |
| Winter squash | 1 cup | 896 mg |
| Artichoke | 1 cup | 595 mg |
| Beets (cooked) | 1 cup | 519 mg |
| Steamed spinach | ½ cup | 415 mg |
| Kidney beans | ½ cup | 355 mg |
| Foods Rich in Potassium | Serving Size | Potassium Content |
|---|---|---|
| Molasses | 1 teaspoon | 498 mg |
| Cooked Tuna | 3 ounces | 484 mg |
| Almonds | 2 ounces | 412 mg |
| Yogurt | 6 ounces | 398 mg |
| Milk | 1 cup | 377 mg |
| Cottage cheese | 1 cup | 217 mg |
Low Potassium Content
A person who eats with low potassium in foods will be having a deficiency in potassium or hypokalemia. Hypokalemia is a condition when our body fails to maintain the minimum needed requirements of potassium and you are required to undergo in potassium screening for a potassium test. A person who are afraid in needle or injection can also try potassium test kit.
The normal values for urine are between 25 and 120 mEq/L per 24 hours. Normal levels of potassium in feces range from 5 to 10 mmol per day per 100 to 200 mL of stool. Potassium test kits are useful in the determining the potassium levels in urine or stool. A person with low blood pressure has a metabolic deficiency from potassium. Potassium is dietary element and requirements for the cells of the body, particularly in nerve and muscle cells.
How to get the potassium you need
Specialists suggest that adults should take 4,700 mg of potassium daily. But for American as a whole, it is recommended to to eat food with potassium levels of 3,200 mg for men and 2,400 for women daily. Patients who are suffering from kidney disease should consume from 1,500 mg to 2,700 mg of potassium daily. To get the potassium you need it is recommended to eat a potassium diet and maintain the daily average intake of potassium level of foods.
Recommended Daily Serving for Potassium
- Fruits - 1 to 3 servings with low-potassium content ( strawberries, papaya, water mellon, peach)
- Vegetables - 2 to 3 servings with low-potassium content ( carrots, broccoli, cabbage)
- Dairy and calcium rich foods - 1 to 2 servings with low-potassium content (cottage cheese, milk)
- Fish, meat or meat alternatives - 3 to 7 servings with low-potassium content (salmon, chicken breast)
- Grains - 4 to 7 servings with low-potassium content
Symptoms of Plant Nutrient Deficiencies in Potassium
Plants are required the right mixture of nutrients for growth, to reproduce and to live. Plants will be malnourished if they show the sign of being weak. There are two categories of plant nutrients, the micro-nutrients and macro-nutrients that naturally acquired by the roots from the soil. Micro-nutrients include manganese, zinc, iron, boron, copper, molybdenum, and chlorine. Macro-nutrients include the phosphorus, nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and potassium. These are elements that relatively needed in large amount.
You will notice the symptoms if potassium has nutrient deficiency, if the the leaves droop or drying out. Plants interveinal chlorosis (pale yellow-green plant ) starts at the base and dried from leaf margins. You need a healthy soil and enough water for plants to get enough potassium.
Potassium lowers blood pressure
Potassium is recommended for people with high blood pressure and can it can be determined by potassium screening. The Third National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES III) proved that potassium has a big role to lower the blood pressure. In February 2001, adults with more than 17,000 confirmed that enough potassium consumption from vegetable and fruits can lower blood pressure. It also shows that a person with low sodium-to-potassium percentage (low-sodium, high-potassium) will less experience the heart diseases.
Low Potassium Side Effects
- Nausea and frequent vomiting
- Constipation and diarrhea
- Insomnia and headache
- Low blood pressure , high cholesterol and heart attacks
- Kidney problems
- Muscle weakness
- Fatigue and cramps
- Increase in the blood pressure level
- Nervousness and Irregular Heartbeat
- Mental confusion and irritability
- Dry skin
- Edema or abnormal fluid beneath the skin or in that produces swelling.
Causes of Low Potassium
Potassium screening will discover if you have low potassium or hypokalemia, results in muscle weakness, abnormal urine ability in concentrating, arrythmias (irregular heart beat) and polydipsia (excessive thirst). It is because of loss of potassium in renal or due to gastrointestinal. Other medication and illness and use of water pills (diuretic) may also decrease the potassium levels. Other causes of low potassium or hypokalemia include:
- Kidney losses such as adrenal disorders, magnesium deficiency and leukemia
- Potassium loss in stomach and intestines like vomiting, enemas, diarrhea, and after ileostomy operation (surgical opening constructed by bringing the end or loop of small intestine)
- Effect of medicines like using water pills, medicine for asthma (bronchodilators, theophylline and steroids) and aminoglycosides (type of antibiotic)
- Malnutrition or decreased in food intake like anorexia, bulimia, bariatic surgery and alcoholism.