The USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 states that Americans under-consume some foods and that their intakes of certain nutrients are low enough to be of concern to public health officials. One of these nutrients is the mineral potassium, an electrolyte with many health functions. To obtain more potassium in your diet, stock up on bananas, broccoli, peas, lima beans, citrus fruits, tomatoes, potato skins, prunes, dried apricots and sweet potatoes.
Potassium Facts
Among its many roles, potassium regulates your acid-base balance, helps build proteins and metabolize carbs and maintains the electrical activity of your heart. Potassium is critical for the proper functioning of your kidneys, muscles, nerves and digestive system. Most people can get enough potassium through food, but it's possible to have health problems that deplete your potassium; those taking certain medications, such as ACE inhibitors or angiontensin receptor blockers, could have interactions with potassium. For most healthy people, adequate intake is 4,700 mg each day. Consult your health care providers if you have health problems.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Dietary potassium can lower blood pressure by blunting the adverse effects of sodium on blood pressure. Potassium causes your kidneys to excrete excess sodium. In a review of literature on potassium intake and blood pressure, the Linus Pauling Institute reports that studies indicate that those who get high levels of potassium have dramatically lower blood pressures than those who have relatively low intakes. Dietary sources of potassium have the same effect as supplemental sources. Potassium supplements should only be taken under the care of your health care provider, making food sources the ideal and more convenient option for people with high blood pressure.
Reduces the Risk of Kidney Stones
Kidney stones can form from abnormally high levels of calcium in your urine, which itself can be caused by excess dietary acid. The Linus Pauling Institute states that people who increase their dietary potassium, an alkaline, could decrease the calcium being excreted in the urine. Potassium can attach to the calcium and prevent the stones from forming; it can also help balance the urine's acidity.
Protects Bones
Potassium intake improves the bone mineral density. Potassium from fruits and vegetables may have the highest potassium compounds that produce this bone-preserving effects, says Dr. Susan Brown, of Better Bones. Potassium neutralizes metabolic acids that can wear away your bones. By increasing your consumption of fruits and vegetables, you are helping to reduce the net acid content, which helps preserves calcium in your bones. Without the potassium in these foods, that calcium might be taken away from bones to help reduce low-grade metabolic acidosis, causing an enhanced loss of minerals in the urine. So potassium acts as a guardian of bone health by allowing calcium to do its job.
References
- Harvard Medical School; Potassium Lowers Blood Pressure; July 2005
- Better Bones; Potassium, the Hidden Bone Guardian; Susan E. Brown; October 1, 2009
- American Dietetic Association; Potassium Power!; Joan Salge Blake; August 1, 2010
- Linus Pauling Institute; Potassium; Jane Higdon; February 2004
- National Academies Press; Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate; Institute of Medicine; 2005
- MedlinePlus; Potassium in Diet
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