Diabetes is a condition that causes your blood glucose levels to rise too high. If you have diabetes, one thing you need to be mindful of is the amount of potassium in your blood. A lack of potassium can cause a variety of health problems, including issues with your muscles. However, you should talk to your doctor before taking potassium supplements.
Low Potassium Levels
Many different tissues need potassium to work properly, but your muscles are particularly sensitive to the amount of potassium in your bloodstream. A lack of potassium in your blood can cause your muscles to cramp or weaken more easily. Low potassium, also known as hypokalemia, can cause an abnormal heart rhythm. Potassium can be obtained from many different dietary sources, including meat, fish, legumes, and fresh vegetables and fruit, such as bananas.
Insulin and Hypokalemia
Type I diabetes is caused by your immune system attacking the insulin-producing cells of your pancreas, resulting in little or no insulin being produced. Because insulin is essential for regulating blood glucose levels, type I diabetes is often treated with insulin injections. However, administration of insulin can cause a sudden drop in your potassium levels, potentially causing hypokalemia. If you regularly experience muscle cramping, fatigue or an irregular heartbeat after using insulin, talk to your doctor about how to prevent this from happening.
Potassium and Diabetes Risk
Another type of diabetes, known as type 2 diabetes, might be affected by your potassium levels. A 2011 article in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that having lower levels of potassium in your blood increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This is relevant because many African Americans have low blood potassium levels, and they are also more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, suggesting that increasing your potassium intake might help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.
Considerations
Although potassium supplements might be beneficial if you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you should talk to your doctor before adding extra potassium to your diet. One common complication of diabetes is kidney disease. If your kidneys aren't functioning properly, potassium supplements can cause your potassium levels to get too high, which can be detrimental to your health.
