What does potassium do to your body?
It helps your nerves to function and muscles to contract. It helps your heartbeat stay regular. It also helps move nutrients into cells and waste products out of cells. A diet rich in potassium helps to offset some of sodium’s harmful effects on blood pressure.
What happens if you have a low potassium level?
A low potassium level has many causes but usually results from vomiting, diarrhea, adrenal gland disorders, or use of diuretics. A low potassium level can make muscles feel weak, cramp, twitch, or even become paralyzed, and abnormal heart rhythms may develop.
What food is high in potassium?
Many fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium:
- Bananas, oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew, apricots, grapefruit (some dried fruits, such as prunes, raisins, and dates, are also high in potassium)
- Cooked spinach.
- Cooked broccoli.
- Potatoes.
- Sweet potatoes.
- Mushrooms.
- Peas.
- Cucumbers.
What happens if your potassium is high?
Having too much potassium in your blood can be dangerous. Potassium affects the way your heart’s muscles work. When you have too much potassium, your heart may beat irregularly, which in the worst cases, can cause heart attack. If you think you are having a heart attack, call 911 for emergency help.
Is potassium bad for kidneys?
Potassium is an important mineral for nerve, cell, and muscle function, but it’s also possible to get too much potassium. Kidney damage from chronic kidney disease can affect how well your kidneys remove extra potassium from your blood. High levels of potassium in the blood can be dangerous.
How does high potassium make you feel?
If high potassium happens suddenly and you have very high levels, you may feel heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, or vomiting. This is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical care. If you have these symptoms, call 911 or go to the emergency room.
Is potassium good for kidneys?
Potassium is a mineral found in many of the foods you eat. It plays a role in keeping your heartbeat regular and your muscles working right. It is the job of healthy kidneys to keep the right amount of potassium in your body.
What are the health benefits of taking potassium?
Potassium is an abundant mineral that is important for health and well-being. Established studies have shown the benefits of increased potassium intake on the reduction of blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and kidney stones.
What happens if you have too little potassium in your body?
Potassium is a mineral and an electrolyte, which conducts electrical impulses throughout the body. Electrolytes assist in essential body functions. Too little potassium can lead to serious health …
Where can I find information on potassium supplements?
Information on many dietary supplements that contain potassium is available in the Dietary Supplement Label Database from the National Institutes of Health, which contains label information from tens of thousands of dietary supplement products on the market.
How many milligrams of potassium does the human body need?
The human body requires at least 100 milligrams of potassium daily to support key functions. Among its many uses, potassium helps to regulate the electrical activity of the heart and other muscles.
How can potassium kill you?
Even taking potassium supplements won’t kill you; taking too many will only cause nausea and vomiting. However, large amounts of potassium injections, which bypass the stomach and intestines, may trigger irregular heartbeat and cardiac arrest, and can lead to death.
What fruits and vegetables are high in potassium?
Many fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium: Bananas, oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew, apricots, grapefruit (some dried fruits, such as prunes, raisins, and dates, are also high in potassium) Cooked spinach. Cooked broccoli. Potatoes. Sweet potatoes.
What effect does potassium have on the body?
Potassium plays a very important role in maintaining fluid levels, electrolyte balance and pH level of the body. The most important functions of potassium in the human body are to keep blood pressure under control and help in intracellular nutrient transfer.
