The amount of potassium you take in through the foods you consume can change the potassium levels in your body. While potassium supplements or disorders that cause potassium depletion can also alter your body’s levels of this mineral, your diet plays a major role in how much potassium your body holds. Both deficiency and toxicity of potassium can be dangerous and can even lead to death. Seek the guidance of a dietitian if you are concerned about the potassium in your diet.
Potassium Functions
The primary function of potassium in your body is to serve as an electrolyte, a charged particle, or ion, capable of conducting electricity. Potassium ions are positively charged and are highly concentrated inside your cells. They work closely with sodium, an ion abundant outside of your cells, to create a membrane potential. The membrane potential of a cell is an electrochemical gradient that helps regulate the passage of molecules across the cell membrane and is vital in maintaining a healthy heartbeat and in proper muscle contraction and nerve transmission. In addition to its role as an electrolyte, potassium is a cofactor for some enzymes. The amount of potassium you consume helps determine how well these processes work.
Dietary Sources
Fruits and vegetables are particularly rich in potassium. Your daily diet should include 4,700 milligrams of this mineral for optimal health, and foods such as potatoes, bananas, prunes and raisins can help you reach this intake. Tomatoes, oranges, lima beans, acorn squash, spinach, artichokes, almonds and sunflower seeds also deliver potassium to your diet, as do dairy products, including milk and yogurt. Mineral supplements can provide you with this mineral, although ones sold in the U.S. contain a maximum of 99 milligrams of potassium, according to the Linus Pauling Institute of Oregon State University. Consuming too little or too much can impact the levels of potassium in your body and lead to health issues.
Deficiency
Because potassium is prevalent in so many food sources, potassium deficiency is often due to conditions that cause you to excrete an abnormally high level of the mineral rather than because of low intake. For example, overuse of diuretics, abuse of laxatives or excessive vomiting can deplete your body’s potassium. However, a low dietary intake can also affect how much potassium is in your body. This condition can occur with malnutrition due to anorexia or alcoholism. Symptoms of potassium deficiency include muscle weakness and fatigue, muscle cramps, digestive problems, abdominal pain and an irregular heartbeat. Severe deficiencies can lead to fatal heart arrhythmias.
Toxicity
If you take in more potassium than you need and more than your kidneys can process, you may develop the toxicity condition known as hyperkalemia. Food sources of potassium are not known to have ever caused hyperkalemia in healthy individuals, the Linus Pauling Institute reports. However, prescription doses of this mineral used to treat severe deficiency can cause potassium toxicity, as can certain kidney disorders. The most serious effect of hyperkalemia is, similar to potassium deficiency, an abnormal heart rhythm that can lead to fatal heart attack. High doses of supplements in your diet, or consuming potassium-rich foods if you have a kidney disorder, can adversely affect the levels of potassium in your body.
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