Potassium is the most prevalent electrolyte inside your cells and is required for a number of body functions. Being an electrolyte means potassium conducts electricity. Your body relies on potassium to conduct electrical impulses for your nerves and muscles to function at their best. This makes potassium a vital part of your heart health.
Heartbeat Regulation
A process known as the sodium-potassium pump helps to generate the energy or electricity that keeps the body's cells working. The sodium-potassium pump helps nerve messages to travel along, reaching the heart and telling it when to pump. This is how potassium helps to manage your heartbeat and keep the heart muscle circulating oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to your body's tissues. If you experience low potassium levels, a condition known as hypokalemia, one of the common symptoms is an irregular heartbeat. This is because your body does not have enough potassium to maintain a constant beat.
Reduced Risk of Cardiac-Related Conditions
When you have low potassium levels in your body, you are at an increased risk for conditions like stroke. Increased potassium intake also has been associated with a reduced risk for hypertension or high blood pressure. Because potassium is found in a number of fruits and vegetables, increasing your intake to about 4,100 mg of potassium per day can lower your blood pressure an average of 7.2 mm/Hg for your systolic blood pressure and 2.8 mm Hg for your diastolic blood pressure if you have been diagnosed with hypertension. Examples of high-potassium foods include a baked potato with the skin, which has 926 mg per serving. Raisins have 598 mg of potassium per 1/2 cup serving, while one medium banana has 422 mg of potassium. Incorporating five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet can help you achieve a higher potassium intake.
Recommended Intake
To experience the heart-healthy benefits of potassium intake, adults should consume at least 2,000 mg of potassium per day. However, you may benefit from taking in more potassium if you have a heart condition like high blood pressure. While the FDA has not established an upper limit for potassium intake, you may need to limit your intake if you have kidney disease, because the disease can affect your body's ability to filter potassium. If you experience side effects like upset stomach, nausea or diarrhea, these can be signs you are consuming too much potassium.
Drug Interactions
While potassium can have heart-protective benefits, it's important to talk to your physician before increasing your intake or taking a supplement. This is especially true if you take medications known to interact with potassium. This includes ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, diuretics, antacids and insulin.
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