98% Of People Are Deficient in This

98% Of People Are Deficient in This

And It Is A Real Problem

The Importance of Potassium

Behind calcium and phosphorous, potassium is the most abundant mineral in the human body. It helps regulate fluid, send nerve signals and regulate muscle contractions. Almost all that potassium is found your cells. Most of that is found in your muscle cells and 20% of it is found in your bones, liver and red blood cells. Once inside your body it functions as an electrolyte. Sounds pretty important doesn’t it?

So, you may find it surprising that 98% of us lovely human beings are potassium deficient, which is often referred to as Hypokalemia. The reason being is that the American diet does not involve a lot of potassium and we need up to 4700mg per day for the average adult. Children 14 and younger need 3000mg and women who are breastfeeding need 5100mg or more.

Potassium has many functions in the body. The most important is muscle contraction. Potassium makes sure that your muscles, especially your heart, contract and relax appropriately. Without proper amounts of potassium, you can develop an irregular heartbeat that could possibly lead to a heart attack.

Potassium also plays a big role in your bone health by balancing out minerals such as calcium and phosphorous in your blood. It prevents your kidneys and bones from excreting too much these minerals.

Potassium in your body helps balance the fluid retention in your cells and blood. Potassium, an electrolyte, also works with other electrolytes such as bicarbonate to help maintain blood pH.

Potassium also has a profound effect on the electrical system (the nerves) of the body. Too little potassium in your body can cause problems with your nerves sending electrical signals to the body. Such symptoms include abnormal nerve function that affects your sense of touch and muscle control.

In this video Dr. Vic Manzo talks a little bit about the potassium in coconut water.

Why is this such a problem?

Potassium deficiency can lead to weakness and fatigue, digestive problems, heart palpitations, muscle aches and stiffness, tingling and numbness, breathing difficulties and mood changes. Perhaps the one big issue is that it can cause high blood pressure. Many studies confirm this link.

According to heart.org potassium is important because it helps regulate sodium in your body. The more potassium you have, the more sodium is passed during urination. Potassium also helps ease tension in the blood pressure walls, also lowering blood pressure. The risks associated with high blood pressure are stroke and heart disease. Though potassium can help with high blood pressure, it should be only one method in which you are using to lower it. A reduction of sodium in the diet, hydration and exercise can also be used to combat high blood pressure. We will cover how to balance hydration and exercise along with potassium intake towards the end of this article.

Adequate levels of potassium can also help prevent kidney stones. For those that have not had them, kidney stones are clumps of material in concentrated urine that are very painful when passing through the body. Calcium is a common mineral in these clumps and potassium is shown in several studies to be a calcium reducer in the urine. (1, 2)

Many fruits and vegetables contain potassium and can help prevent painful kidney stone attacks. In a four-year study of over 45,000 men, those who consumed the most potassium had a 51% lower chance of developing kidney stones. In another study of over 91,000 women who consumed adequate amounts of potassium, they showed a 35% lower risk of developing kidney stones.

I would like to take a second to address how Potassium can help regulate mood. Low potassium, in recent years, has been linked to mood disturbances and depression according to the British Journal of Medicine. A 2008 study examined the relationship between potassium and mood and found that a high-potassium diet helped to relieve symptoms of depression and tension among its subjects. These findings would suggest both that potassium may be useful in the treatment of mood disturbances and that low potassium levels may be linked to symptoms of depression. Very often the food cure for something is often effective for prevention.

Why Aren’t We Getting Enough

Potassium rich foods are white potatoes with the skin (925mg), sweet potatoes (425mg), bananas (420mg), pinto beans (400mg), yogurt (400mg) and lentils (365mg). The problem is almost all these foods have been villainized by low carb diets such as Atkins, Paleo and Keto or people just do not eat them at all. The one saving grace is that one bunch of spinach has 1897mg of potassium but who is eating that much every day? White potatoes and bananas are scratched from many popular fad diets as having empty carbs or starches. Many brands of yogurt are rightfully villainized due to the amounts of sugar added to flavored varieties. Some diets discourage legumes and pulses.

Today’s standard American diet consists of lots of processed, nutrient-deficient foods. These processed foods are missing more than just potassium but plentiful in sodium. When your sodium to potassium balance is off, it will cause your body to excrete potassium instead of retaining it. This is the reverse of what we mentioned before when you have adequate amounts of potassium. Fruit, especially bananas and kiwis contain large amounts of potassium. Adults need 1.5-2 cups of fruit per day and according to the CDC only 1 in 10 of us are getting that amount. Many vegetables and some nuts also contain large amounts of potassium.

Another reason potassium deficiency occurs is absorption due to low magnesium levels. Studies have found that people with chronically low levels of potassium were finally able to maintain adequate levels when they had enough magnesium (300mg per day for women and 400mg for men).  See the graphic below for foods high in magnesium.

Left off this list is coconut water at 600mg per cup

Early Signs of Potassium Deficiency

Constipation – low potassium levels may slow your digestion system resulting in constipation. Foods high in potassium also tend to be high in fiber and fiber without water can also cause constipation. Make sure you are drinking enough water in relation to your fiber/nutrient content.  A good rule to use is take half your weight in pounds, drop the lb and swap it with oz. For example: 170lbs/2 = 85lbs. 85lbs – lbs + oz = 85oz.

Muscle Aches and Cramping – potassium, being an electrolyte, works with sodium and magnesium to maintain water proper water balance. If you are dehydrated, not getting enough potassium or sodium potassium balance is off, it disrupts this balance and can cause cramping. As mentioned before, potassium helps regulate blood flow and blood brings oxygen to the muscles. This lack of oxygen can also lead to muscle cramps.

Tingling and Numbness – Dr. Vic Manzo mentioned in the video above that potassium is critical to the electrical system known as our nerves. When potassium levels are low, it can affect the way your nerves send signals to each other. It can present itself as numbness and tingling, especially in the extremities such as hands and feet.

Balancing Hydration – Sodium – Potassium – Exercise

Your doctor has told you that you need to exercise to reduce weight, cholesterol and blood pressure. I have just told you need that you need potassium and hydration to go along with that exercise because dehydration and potassium can also contribute to high blood pressure. Those who exercise, and I mean hard, need more potassium and hydration than the average Jane or Joe. You join a gym and stock up on Gatorade because the commercials say you will rehydrate and get your electrolytes.

Staring with hydration, you might find it interesting that 75% of the US population walks around already dehydrated. We often start our mornings with coffee, tea or soda and my not have our first sip of water until mid-morning or later. It is suggested that you drink at least once glass of water first thing in the morning. We lose more water from our body during respiration that any other process our body performs and that is all we do when sleeping. We simply do not get enough water during our daily routines. You only need to lose 2-3% of your bodily water to be considered dehydrated. If you are going to exercise, you need even more water. None of this contains potassium either.

When you exercise you will also lose electrolytes such as sodium and potassium. We know that 75% of people are dehydrated, 98% of people are potassium deficient and that most people are consuming too much sodium in their standard diet. That makes those Gatorade and Powerade commercials really appealing. The problem is their sodium to potassium ratio. Mentioned earlier this article was the fact that we need to balance our electrolytes such as potassium and sodium. The healthy ratio to help retain potassium is 5 to 1.

1 to 4 ratio

1 to 3.6 ratio

The potassium to sodium ratios on these drinks do not meet or come close to the healthy ratio. A Gatorade and a banana will get you to almost 2 to 1. You need about 2 more to reach 5 to 1. Oh, and that’s for one 18oz bottle. For the Powerade it is per 8oz servings.

Livestrong.com reported that too much Gatorade can cause high blood pressure. So now you might be going around in circles. Kind of like when your doctor prescribes a blood pressure pill that makes you gain weight even though they told you to lose to decrease blood pressure. We should consume no more than 2300mg of sodium per day unless we are athletes or participating in endurance events. If you end up with the 32oz Gatorade, as most people do, you will end up with 540mg of sodium which is over 20% of your daily value and only 150mg of potassium, only 3.2% of our daily recommended value.

Is There A Better Option for Me and My Kids?

You bet there is! There was a little hint above about coconut water and its potassium content. One cup of coconut water contains (on average) 600mg of potassium and about 50mg of sodium in its natural form. Coconut water nutrition content depends upon where it’s grown, when it’s harvest and if anything is added while processing. Coconut water can have an 11 to 1 potassium to sodium ratio making it a great swap for sports drinks which also contain large amounts of added chemical colors, preservatives and flavors. Not to mention sugar! Coconut water needs just a pinch of salt to be perfectly ideal for rehydration and is naturally sweet with less sugar than your average sports drink.

Many do not like the taste of coconut water or some just are not used to it. There is another drink on the market in the Chicago area that uses coconut water and I’ve written about it before because I am its creator. Regain, is a natural recovery and rehydration drink that starts with non-gmo coconut water and then adds only organic fruit juices like tart cherry for muscle recovery and lime or lemon juice for taste and just a pinch of pink Himalayan salt. Our potassium to sodium ratio? Over 4 to 1!

1 – The Effects of Fruits and Vegetables on Urinary Stone Risk Factors – Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Parma, Italy Department of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Prevention Sciences, University of Parma, Italy   2 – Nutritional Management of Kidney Stones – Department of Nephrology, Harvard Vanguard Medical AssociateDepartment of Nephrology, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associate, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Harvard Vanguard Medical Associate, Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates; Brigham and Women’s Hospital ²Harvard Vanguard Medical Associate, Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ³Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates; Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ⁴Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition and School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA. Department of Nephrology, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associate, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ²Harvard Vanguard Medical Associate, Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ³Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates; Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ⁴Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition and School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA. Department of Nephrology, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associate, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ²Harvard Vanguard Medical Associate, Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ³Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates; Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ⁴Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition and School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA. Department of Nephrology, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associate, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ²Harvard Vanguard Medical Associate, Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ³Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates; Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ⁴Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition and School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA. Department of Nephrology, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associate, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ²Harvard Vanguard Medical Associate, Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ³Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates; Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ⁴Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition and School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA.