A healthy adult should aim to consume 3,500–4,700 mg daily from foods. To increase your intake, incorporate a few potassium-rich foods into your diet such as spinach, yams, avocados, bananas, and fish, such as salmon.
Although bananas are a good source of potassium, many other nutritious foods, including sweet potatoes, legumes, and beets, offer more potassium per serving. Swiss chard, yams, and white beans even have twice as much potassium per cup as a medium banana.
Caffeine and tobacco reduce the absorption of potassium. People at risk for insufficient potassium intake include alcoholics, drug addicts and crash dieters.
Vomiting, diarrhea or both also can result in excessive potassium loss from the digestive tract. Occasionally, low potassium is caused by not getting enough potassium in your diet. In most cases, low potassium is found by a blood test that is done because of an illness, or because you are taking diuretics.
Potassium is absorbed via passive diffusion, primarily in the small intestine [2,4,5]. About 90% of ingested potassium is absorbed and used to maintain its normal intracellular and extracellular concentrations [3,5].
Vitamin D3 tended to increase retention of both potassium and sodium in the body. A significant interaction occurred between dietary magnesium and vitamin D3 relative to body weight gain. Vitamin D3 increased magnesium content in tibiae ash and decreased magnesium content in serum.
Magnesium helps transport calcium and potassium ions in and out of cells. It may also contribute to the absorption of these important minerals. This is why a lack of magnesium can lead to low calcium and potassium levels.
How much potassium is in an egg? One large egg contains about 63 mg of potassium. 1 Eggs are considered a low-potassium food, but check with your doctor or dietitian to find out how often you should eat them.
Some of the best sources of potassium are dark leafy greens such as spinach, which when cooked has an astounding 1,180 mg per cup, per USDA data. Swiss chard is a close second, with almost 1,000 mg per cooked cup, and even bok choy has around 445 mg per cup when cooked.
Adults should consume about 3,500mg of potassium per day, according to the UK's National Health Service. The average banana, weighing 125g, contains 450mg of potassium, meaning a healthy person can consume at least seven-and-half bananas before reaching the recommended level.
There are limited or no options for at-home kits to test potassium levels. If you are prescribed a 24-hour urine test, you will need to collect your urine wherever you are during the day, including at home. However, this testing is still prescribed by your doctor rather than sold as a separate at-home test kit.
Foods High In Both Magnesium and Potassium
Spinach in particular is an excellent source of both magnesium and potassium. But don't forget fruits (avocado, banana, apple), starchy vegetables (potatoes, yams, carrots), legumes, and meat and fish like chicken, beef, and salmon.
In both studies, magnesium therapy was associated with significant alterations in extracellular ion homeostasis. Serum concentrations of potassium decreased during the initial days of hospitalization in the patients treated with placebo, but increased slightly in the patients treated with magnesium infusions.
Magnesium deficiency is frequently associated with hypokalemia. Concomitant magnesium deficiency aggravates hypokalemia and renders it refractory to treatment by potassium. Herein is reviewed literature suggesting that magnesium deficiency exacerbates potassium wasting by increasing distal potassium secretion.
Though this naturally-occurring vitamin has many benefits, there are some potentially dangerous side effects to be aware of and to watch out for. B12 injections may contribute to low potassium levels in your body. Though rare, this reaction can cause muscle cramping, extreme fatigue, and an irregular heartbeat.
Potassium gluconate has a high absorption rate of approximately 94 percent, making it useful for “quick” needs like leg cramps or blood pressure management. Potassium chloride is commonly prescribed by a doctor for hypokalemia, or low potassium levels.
Dehydration. Destruction of red blood cells due to severe injury or burns. Excessive use of potassium supplements. Type 1 diabetes.
Gastrointestinal losses of potassium usually are due to prolonged diarrhea or vomiting, chronic laxative abuse, inadequate dietary intake of potassium, intestinal obstruction or infections such as fistulas in the intestines which continually drain intestinal fluids.
Low blood potassium typically occurs because of an excessive loss of potassium in your digestive tract. This may be due to frequent vomiting, diarrhea or laxative use. Other causes of hypokalemia include: Eating disorders, such as bulimia nervosa.
Excessive water consumption may lead to depletion of potassium, which is an essential nutrient. This may cause symptoms like leg pain, irritation, chest pain, et al.