Potassium and your health
While diets rich in potassium can help control blood pressure and have been linked to a lower chance of having a stroke, it is always best to take things in moderation.
Vitamins and minerals are important substances that our bodies need to develop and function normally. One essential mineral is potassium (symbol: K) which helps ensure the proper function of the muscles and nerves, including those that control your heartbeat and breathing.
Potassium is best obtained from the food that we eat, and our bodies use the potassium it needs.
A low potassium level can lead to fatigue, weakness and constipation. This deficiency can then escalate to paralysis, respiratory failure, and painful gut obstruction. On the other hand, if there is an excess of potassium that the body does not need, it is removed from the blood by the kidneys through the urine.
If the body cannot remove the excess potassium through the urine because of other health problems that affect the function of the kidneys, such as diabetes, hypertension and heart failure, then potassium levels can increase to alarming levels, which can cause dangerous abnormal heart rhythms and even cause cardiac arrest and death.
I once had a patient with diabetes and advanced kidney disease, who heard somewhere that drinking buko (coconut) water was good for her kidneys, and she started drinking it instead of water every day. After a couple of weeks, she began to experience nausea, vomiting, chest pain and palpitations which led her to the emergency room where they found that her potassium was at a very high critical level. After receiving treatment, her potassium levels normalized and fortunately her symptoms resolved.
While diets rich in potassium can help control blood pressure and have been linked to a lower chance of having a stroke, it is always best to take things in moderation, and to consult your doctor first before ingesting copious amounts of any substance, be it food or a supplement. As in the aforementioned patient, just because something is considered “natural” does not mean it can’t harm you. According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology, the adequate intake of potassium for Filipino adults is 2,000 milligrams a day, taken mostly from at least five servings of fruits and vegetables. (A serving of vegetables is one cup of raw leafy vegetables or half cup raw non-leafy vegetables, or half cup cooked leafy or non-leafy vegetables. A serving of fruit is about half cup.). Vegetables high in potassium include potatoes, tomatoes, squash, spinach, bokchoy and okra. Fruits include banana, melon, watermelon and oranges.
Although it is important for people with kidney disease to not overdo potassium, they shouldn’t go without it either. Those with severe kidney disease or on dialysis should still get some — about 1000 milligrams per day. Some low potassium foods are asparagus, broccoli, carrots, corn, apple, grapes and pineapple. But watch out for the number of servings. Too much of a low-potassium food makes it a high-potassium food.
Potassium levels can also be affected by certain medications, such as diuretics (hydrochlorothiazide, furosemide) which tend to lower potassium levels, while other medications for blood pressure (lisinopril, perindopril, losartan, irbesartan) have the opposite effect and can raise potassium levels. So can common painkillers such as ibuprofen or naproxen. If you take any of these ask your doctor if your potassium levels need to be monitored.
In general, healthy potassium levels can be maintained with a balanced diet and eating the recommended number of servings for fruits and vegetables. Remember to never take potassium supplements without a doctor’s prescription, and consult with your doctor to find out the amount of potassium that’s right for you.