Potassium is a key mineral in the body, necessary for the proper functioning of all cells and organs. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a low potassium level is often the side effect of medications, such as diuretics or...
Potassium is a mineral the body needs for proper digestive function, for contracting muscles, for conducting electricity, for heart function and for nerve cell function. Many foods contain potassium, but some people do not consume enough of these...
Low potassium, or hypokalemia, is a life threatening disorder. One of potassium's most important functions is to help regulate smooth muscle contractions. In other words, potassium helps make your heart beat and your digestive system move....
The body requires potassium for proper function of nerve and muscle cells. When levels become depleted, the condition is called hypokalemia. The kidneys regulate blood potassium levels, and kidney damage or disease can cause potassium levels to...
Potassium is a nutrient required by the body to control muscle contractions and to allow the heart to beat properly. When you have low potassium levels, you develop a condition known as hypokalemia. If you have a potassium level below 3.5 mEq/L,...
Your body needs a specific amount of certain minerals, also known as electrolytes, to function properly. One important electrolyte is potassium, which is critical for the function of many tissues in the body. In some cases, unusually low levels of...
Potassium plays a crucial role in balancing the water levels of the body. When there's too little of this mineral in your system--below 3.5 milliequivalent per liter (mEq/L)--your body will begin to show signs of deficiency. In most people, these...
Dry mouth, formally known as xerostomia, is a condition that occurs when you don't produce enough saliva to keep your mouth moist. You can develop dry mouth for a number of reasons. However, the condition is not a typical sign or symptom of low...
Potassium plays an important role in the growth and functioning of muscles and nerves and is found throughout the blood. Normal blood levels of potassium range from 3.5 to 5 milliequivalents per liter. Lower levels of potassium, which can develop...
Hypokalemia is a medical condition characterized by unusually low potassium levels and occurs most commonly in people who overuse diuretics or have kidney disease or an eating disorder. Low potassium levels arise when your blood levels of this...
Low potassium syndrome, or hypokalemia, is a medical condition that occurs when the amount of potassium in your blood falls below 3.5 milliequivalents per liter, or mEq/L. Without proper levels of potassium in your blood, your muscles and nerves...
The minerals potassium and magnesium are both important electrolytes necessary for proper body function. Potassium works in the maintenance of water balance in your body, as well as in the activation of muscles and nerves. Magnesium is also needed...
Hypokalemia is a condition caused by a potassium deficiency in the blood. Potassium is a mineral that is essential to our cell and organ function. According to The National Institute of Health, this metabolic disorder is caused by excessive...
Potassium is a mineral found inside body cells. Potassium is essential to maintaining proper function of all cells, tissues and organs in the human body. Low potassium in the blood is a metabolic condition, clinically known as hypokalemia. It can...
Potassium is an electrolyte essential in the function of muscles and nerves. Along with sodium, it maintains the body's water and pH balances, sustaining blood pressure and other physiologic processes. Hypokalemia is the clinical name for low...
Potassium and sodium are both essential elements to your body's health. According to the Mayo Clinic, potassium helps maintain the normal functioning of your nerves and muscles, including your heart. Although potassium levels naturally fluctuate,...
Hypokalemia is the medical term for low levels of potassium in the blood. Because potassium is essential for proper nerve and muscle function, very low levels of potassium can cause serious problems. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of low...
Potassium plays a vital role in maintaining good health. It helps maintain the correct balance of water in the body, aids enzymes to function properly and supports nerve function and muscle contraction. Having too low of a level of potassium in...
Potassium is an electrolyte and an important mineral for the proper function of all cells, tissues and organs in the body. According to the American Heart Association, the recommended daily intake of potassium for an average adult is about 4,700...
Potassium, a mineral abundant in a normal diet, functions as an electrolyte in your body. Electrolytes conduct electrochemical signals that regulate many functions in your body, including those of muscle and nerve cells, as MayoClinic.com...
Potassium belongs to a class of nutrients known as macro-minerals. This essential element plays a role in many biological functions including blood pressure control, fluid balance, and muscle contraction. Fluctuations in blood potassium levels are...
Potassium is a mineral that is essential in bodily functioning. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, it is a mineral that is involved in the functioning of cells, tissues and organs; it is also an electrolyte that conducts...
Your body requires potassium to function properly. Found in a number of foods -- such as potatoes or oranges -- or in dietary supplements, potassium consumption supports proper tissue functioning. If you consume a nutrient-sparse diet, suffer from...
Your body uses vitamin B12 to make DNA and nerve and blood cells. Most people get an adequate supply of the vitamin from the foods they eat. Vitamin B12 deficiencies are not common, because the body stores the excess supply, according to...
Potassium and sodium work together in your body for proper cell function and should be eaten in equal amounts. This is because a diet high in sodium can result in low potassium levels in your blood since they regulate each other. There are several...
Low potassium levels cause a variety of health problems including leg cramps. Leg cramps occur when the muscles in your legs contract involuntarily. In fact, leg cramps are one of the first signs of low potassium levels. Fight leg cramps and other...
Low levels of potassium in the blood, a condition known as hypokalemia, may be deadly, because potassium is needed for healthy nerve and muscle function. Low potassium may disrupt the heartbeat. Normally, blood levels of potassium are between 3.6...
Potassium is one of the key mineral electrolytes in the body. As a conductor of electrical signals, it aids in muscle contraction and helps regulate the function of the skeletal muscles and the smooth muscles lining internal organs, along with the...
When pregnant, your volume of bodily fluids, including blood, increases by about 50 percent, which makes potassium crucial during this time. Low potassium can be a problem for pregnant women and learning more can help you include plenty of this...
