Potassium is a mineral. With the chemical symbol "K," it is easily confused with vitamin K. This chemical symbol comes from "kalium," the Latin word meaning alkali. Unlike potassium, vitamin K is not a mineral. Its name comes from the German word "koagulation." Scientists Henrik Carl Peter Dam and Edward Adelbert Doisy shared the 1943 Nobel Prize for the discovery of this vitamin.
Uses of Potassium
When bonded to other atoms, potassium is a salt. When unbonded, it is an ion. An ion is a charged molecule. Since the concentration of potassium is higher outside cell membranes, an electrochemical gradient is created. Without this gradient, nerve cells cannot fire. Potassium also acts as a co-factor for enzymes. A co-factor is a substance required by some enzymes. Without the cofactor, the enzyme cannot catalyze reactions.
Potassium Levels
High levels of potassium are found in many fruits and vegetables, chocolate, dairy products and chewing tobacco. Medline Plus reports that potassium is so ubiquitous, that deficiencies are almost entirely unknown in the industrialized world. High levels of potassium pose a threat to kidney patients with advanced disease. Since their kidneys cannot remove potassium from the blood effectively, potassium levels rise. This can affect nerve function including the firing of nerves that control the beating of the heart. Since one out of nine Americans has kidney disease, the threat of too much potassium affects a large number of people. Acceptable potassium intake varies from patient to patient and is governed by the patient's laboratory results.
Vitamin K Chemistry
Just as there are different B vitamins, there are also various K vitamins. Vitamin K1, K2 and K3 are called phylloquinone, menaquinone and menadione, respectively. These oil-soluble vitamins work together to help coagulate blood. Phylloquinone is the most important major dietary form of vitamin K. Large doses of vitamin A and vitamin E may interfere with vitamin K activity.
Vitamin K-Rich Foods
Vegetables such as broccoli, kale, spinach, lettuce, chard, spinach, watercress and parsley are high in vitamin K. Oils such as soybean and canola oil as well as mayonnaise are also rich in vitamin K. Vitamin K deficiencies are rare because it is so readily available in food.
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