Benefits of Potassium

What is potassium? What are the benefits of potassium? What are the effects of low potassium or too much potassium? Here are some potassium facts.

Potassium is a dietary mineral that the body requires to function effectively. It is also an electrolyte, a substance that conducts electricity in the body for muscle tissues and neurons to function. Potassium is found naturally dissolved in seawater and in animal and plant cells especially fruits.

Potassium Benefits

Among the potassium benefits are for muscle contractions. Potassium is one of the minerals that are responsible for the proper movements of the skeletal muscles, cardiac muscles and smooth muscles such as muscles found in the digestive tract. A lack of it may cause muscle weakness and digestive problems. It is therefore one of the important minerals for a normal heart and digestive health and one of the minerals that may help lower the risk of osteoporosis.

One of the other benefits of potassium is it helps support proper kidney function. A healthy kidney will determine the amount of potassium in the blood and eliminate the excess amount. An imbalance amount of potassium in the blood may cause conditions such as Hypokalemia and Hyperkalemia.

Potassium supports metabolic processes that will lead to the production of energy. This is one of the reasons why it is an added ingredient in energy drinks. The lack of potassium may cause fatigue and weakness. If you are an active person, it is healthier to obtain your source of potassium from a diet containing high potassium such as fruits.

Another one of the benefits of potassium is that it supports normal blood pressure. What it does is reduce the effects of sodium in the blood as too much salt can cause high blood pressure.

Foods High in Potassium

Here is a list of potassium rich foods. The nutritional value is based on per 100g of mostly fresh and raw food sources.

1. Seedless raisins - 749mg
   
   
2. Dried prunes - 732mg
   
   
3. Dried dates - 656mg
   
   
4. Green and raw soybeans - 620mg
   
   
5. Spinach - 555mg
   
   
6. Avocados - 507mg
   
   
7. Potatoes - 413mg
   
   
8. Garlic - 401mg
   
   
9. Bananas - 358mg
   
   
10. Raw beet - 325mg
    
    
11. Broccoli - 316mg
    
    
12. Prune juice - 276mg
    
    
13. Cantaloupe - 265mg
    
    
14. Apricot - 259mg
    
    
15. Raw green peas - 244mg
    
    
16. Red tomatoes - 237mg
    
    
17. Orange juice - 200mg
    
    
18. Strawberries - 153mg
    
    
19. Watermelons - 112mg

Source: USDA Nutrient database

Symptoms of Low Potassium and Potassium Deficiency

One of the side effects of low potassium is a condition called Hypokalemia. It is a condition when there is low concentration of potassium ions in the blood. Some of the symptoms of low potassium are muscle weakness, constipations, cardiac arrest, mental depression and nausea. If your diet contains foods that contain potassium or you are not losing excessive potassium from your body due to diarrhea, surgery or excessive sweating, it is unlikely that you will suffer from potassium deficiency.

Symptoms of Too Much Potassium

Too much potassium is also unhealthy. If you have an unhealthy kidney or a kidney failure, you may develop Hyperkalemia, an abnormally high concentration of potassium ions in the blood. Some of the signs of too much potassium are numbness, weakness, rapid beatings of the heart and flaccid paralysis, a weakness or paralysis of the muscle tone. Acute Hyperkalemia may lead to cardiac arrest and death.

Potassium Supplements

If you aren't getting enough potassium in your diet, you can obtain potassium supplements in the form of:

1. Potassium tablets
   
   
   
2. Potassium iodide
   
   
   
3. Potassium gluconate
   
   
   
4. Liquid potassium

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