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POTASSIUM IMPORTANCE:
Potassium (K) in the form of K+ is the most essential cation of the
cells. Its high intracellular concentration is regulated by the cell
membrane through the sodium - potassium pump. Most of the total body
potassium (TBK) is found in muscle tissue. Total body potassium has
been used as a measure of lean body mass, of muscle mass, or (more accurately)
of cell mass. Because of its association with the metabolizing, oxygen-consuming
portion of the body, a decline in total body potassium is usually interpreted
as a loss of muscle mass due to a catabolic condition. Potassium exists
in nature in three isotopes: 39K (93.26%), 40K (0.0117%) and 41K (6.73%).
40K is radioactive and responsible for most of the naturally occurring
internal radioactivity in the body. This property enabled several investigators
to monitor total body potassium values as a function of age and disease.
Works with sodium to regulate the body's waste balance and normalize
heart rhythms; aids in clear thinking by sending oxygen to the brain;
preserves proper alkalinity of body fluids; stimulates the kidneys to
eliminate poisonous body wastes; assists in reducing high blood pressure;
promotes healthy skin.
DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS:
With the exception of starvation, low or declining total body potassium
is not a result of insufficient dietary intake but the outcome of a
catabolic, protein wasting condition which reduces the total cell mass
of the body. Hypokalemia (low serum K) is the result of excessive loss
of K in the urine, usually as a result of use of diuretic agents to
treat hypertension. Hypokalemia may result in cardiac failure. May result
in poor reflexes, nervous disorders, respiratory failure, cardiac arrest,
muscle damage. Anxiousness, drowsiness, weakness, nausea, irrational
behavior, irregular heartbeat.
Spectators are
used to watching marathon runners swig cups of fluid on the run to help
them replace bodily fluids lost through sweating. Actually, far
less potassium is lost through sweat than through prolonged vomiting,
diarrhea or diuretics used to treat hypertension.
Dietary recommendations:
The Estimated Minimum Requirement for potassium for adolescents and
adults is 2000 mg or 50 mEq/day. The usual dietary intake for adults
is about 100 mEq/day. However, many nutritionists now recommend upping
the daily quota to 3,500 milligrams to reduce the risk of high blood
pressure. For hypertension patients using diuretic medication, it is
often recommended to supplement their diet with orange juice, bananas
and vegetables which contain high amounts of potassium. Increased potassium
intake helps maintain normal plasma levels. However, the blood level
of potassium (which may be sensitive to diet) is not indicative of total
body potassium which is an index of cell mass and muscle.
Food sources:
Most of the foods contain potassium. The best food sources are fruits,
vegetables and juices, dairy products, fish, lean meats and poultry
(bananas, cantaloupes, orange juice, baked potatoes and low-fat yogurt,
in particular, are stellar sources). Note: The less fat food contains,
the richer it's likely to be in potassium. There is no known food supplement
which would directly increase total body potassium by compensating for
a dietary K deficiency.
Toxicity:
The fraction of potassium which is present outside the cells plays an
active role in the propagation of electrical signals between neurons,
skeletal muscle function and regulation of blood pressure. Urinary excretion
protects against the accumulation of high levels of potassium. However,
acute hyperkalemia can be lethal by causing cardiac arrest.
Precautions:
Potassium is sacrificed when grains are milled. It also leaches into
cooking water if food is cut too fine and cooked too long, but recycling
the "pot licker" salvages most of it. Because laxatives and diuretics
both wash potassium from the body, they should be taken only as a physician
directs. Some of the diuretics used to treat hypertension — hydrochlorothiazide
and furosemide, to name two — deplete body potassium. Water is flushed
out of the body along with potassium, thus blood volume is reduced as
well as blood pressure. Anyone taking potassium-wasting diuretics must
monitor his potassium intake carefully and make sure that the lost potassium
is replaced. Drinking lots of orange juice, eating plenty of potatoes,
bananas and other potassium-rich foods are good ways to go about it.
Recent research:
Most of the recent research is related to the importance of total body
potassium as an index of cell mass. The accelerated loss of total body
potassium compared to protein loss in AIDS patients can be used to predict
the time of death of the patient. Total body potassium is depleted with
age, a phenomenon associated with sarcopenia (loss of skeletal muscle
mass and function with age).
For further information:
Flynn, M.A, Nolph, G.B, Baker, A.S., Martin, W.M. & Krause, G. (1989)
Total body potassium in aging humans: a longitudinal study. Am. J. Clin.
Nutr. 50: 713-717
Forbes, G.B. & Reina, J.C. (1970) Adult lean body mass declines with
age: some longitudinal observations. Metabolism 19: 653-663
Kotler, D.P., Tierney, A.R., Wang, J. & Pierson, R.N. (1989) Magnitude
of body-cell-mass depletion and the timing of death from wasting in
AIDS. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 50: 444-447.
Statements on this website have not
been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose,
treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please Contact your physician.
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