Your body needs vitamins and minerals for optimum health and to grow and develop properly. Minerals are separated into two groups, macrominerals and trace minerals. Potassium is one of the macrominerals, which means your body needs a larger amount of it than the trace minerals. Potassium supplements can have side effects and adverse interactions with other medications so you should only take supplements under the care and supervision of your health care provider.
Potassium
In your body, potassium is needed for the proper functioning of cells, organs and tissues. Potassium is an electrolyte, meaning it conducts electricity. Your body tissues and blood all contain water and potassium helps to regulate the water in your body. For your heart, muscles and digestive system to function properly your body requires potassium as it plays an important role in skeletal and smooth muscle function. Potassium deficiency, called hypokalemia, can cause nausea and vomiting, mood changes, muscle weakness, and an irregular heartbeat.
Potassium RDAs
The recommended dietary allowances for potassium change by age. In infants younger than 6 months the RDA is 400 mg a day, from 6 to 12 months the amount increases to 700 mg a day. In children, age 1 to 3 the RDA is 3,000 mg a day, age 4 to 8 the RDA is 3,800 a day, and for age 9 to 13 it is 4,500 mg a day. The RDA remains constant from age 14 and up, at 4,700 mg a day. The only exception of this is in the case of lactation, where a woman should get 5,100 mg a day.
Potassium Upper Limit
A tolerable daily upper limit is the amount that is considered safe to consume without adverse health effects, and the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has not set one for potassium. Multivitamins have a maximum of 99 mg of potassium per serving due to the potential of serious side effects and hyperkalemia, where your kidneys are unable to eliminate the excess potassium. Hyperkalemia can cause weakness, muscle fatigue, nausea, paralysis and abnormal heart rhythms. Due to the risk of excess potassium, you should only take potassium supplements greater than those in a multivitamin at the recommendation and supervision of your health care provider.
Potassium Sources
You should be able to meet your potassium needs by eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Foods that are rich in potassium include bananas, tomatoes, leafy green vegetables, potatoes if the skin is left on, citrus fruits, dried fruits and legumes such as lentils, beans and peas. To help you put this in perspective of your RDAs, potassium amounts in the following foods as follows; a medium banana has 422 mg, a medium tomato has 292 mg, 1/2 cup of cooked spinach has 420 mg, a medium potato with the skin on has 926 mg, a medium orange has 237 mg, and 1/2 cup of lima beans has 485 mg.
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