Potassium
Requirements:
Daily Optimal Intake:
Supplement Forms:
- Absorption not a problem - found in many supplement forms
Labs:
- RBC potassium - for correlating EKG changes
- Serum potassium - 3.5 - 5.0 mEq./L. - reasonable with long
term body stores
- Hair potassium - poor correlation
Food Sources:
- Fish: cod, flounder, salmon, tuna, haddock
- Fruits: banana, apple, orange, cantaloupe, apricot, peach,
plum, strawberry
- Unprocessed meats: chicken (white meat), lamb, beef, pork
- Vegetables: carrot, potato, asparagus, avocado, lima bean,
spinach, tomato
Signs and Symptoms of Deficiency:
- Arrhythmias
- Chronic depletion can lead to glucose intolerance,
constipation, ileus, metabolic alkalosis
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Mental confusion
- Orthostatic hypotension
- Paresthesia
- Weakness
Causes of Deficiency:
- Low intake - SAD (Standard American Diet) or high sodium
intake
- Diarrhea in infants
- Vomiting
- Glucocorticoid excess
- Diuretics, especially thiazide diuretics
Adverse Reactions and Toxicity:
- Large doses may cause diarrhea
- Contraindicated in people with renal failure
- Contraindicated in people with diabetes that have an
abnormality of potassium metabolism
Drug/Nutrient Interaction:
- Magnesium helps maintain potassium intracellular
- Caffeine increases urinary excretion of potassium
- Phenolphthalein depletes potassium
- Triamterene causes hyperkalemia
- Timolol increases serum potassium levels
- Thiazides depletes muscle tissue of potassium although serum levels remain normal
- Ethacrynic acid used long term can deplete potassium
- ACE inhibitors can lead to hyperkalemia
- Alprenolol can lead to hyperkalemia, dose-dependent
- Aminoglycosides can lead to hyperkalemia due to aminoglycoside-renal injury
- Amphotericin B can lead to hyperkalemia due to nephrotoxicity
- Aspirin, large doses, can lead to hypokalemia
- Tetracycline causes hypokalemia due to nephrotoxic effects of tetracycline
- Carbenoxolone may cause hypokalemia
- Digitalis toxicity may be exacerbated by simultaneous
potassium deficiency
- Potassium may be contraindicated when taking potassium-sparing
diuretics
- Potassium may be contraindicated when taking
angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor
Biochemical Functions:
- Important in acid-base balance
- Involved in water balance and distribution
- Involved in muscle and nerve function
- Important in cardiac function
- Important in kidney and adrenal function
Clinical Indications:
Copyright 1998 - 2008 by L. Vicky Crouse, ND and James S. Reiley, ND. All rights reserved (ISSN 1527-0661).