Your Nutrition Coach: Supplements & Dietary Strategies - Potassium
Young Ju, Ph.D.
The field of nutrition is expanding with growing interest in how food and nutrition affect human health, wellness and prevention of diseases. Health-conscious consumers are driving the demand for accurate food and nutrition information.
Potassium is an essential mineral. The body needs potassium for many bodily functions including muscle function, kidney and heart function, and the nervous system (NIH). For example, within muscle cells, potassium helps relay signals from the brain that control muscle contraction and relaxation. When blood potassium levels are low, the brain cannot relay these signals effectively. That is why tennis players eat bananas, a good source of potassium, during matches.
Average daily recommended amounts depend on age and sex (NAS). The average potassium intake level of Americans is less than the recommended level.
Recommended Amount (in milligrams, mg):
Men (19+ years) - 3,400
Women (19+ years) - 2,600
Many foods are rich sources of potassium (USDA), such as nuts, seeds, and beans; vegetables are a good source. The amount of potassium (in mg) in some other foods include:
2,202
1,648
1,644
1,315
385
145-847
800
125-280
30
Dried apricots (1 cup)
Orange juice, unsweetened (1 cup)
Baked Potato (1 large)
Banana (1 fresh)
Banana chips (1 cup)
Nuts (1 cup)
Salt Substitute ¼ teaspoon
Energy bar (1 bar)
Gatorade (8 ounces)
Potassium is also found in multivitamin/multimineral supplements and supplements that contain only potassium. Potassium in these supplements is in many different forms--potassium chloride, potassium citrate, potassium phosphate, potassium aspartate, potassium bicarbonate, and potassium gluconate. Research studies have not shown that any form of potassium is better than the others. These dietary supplements contain no more than 99 mg potassium per serving. Usually, there are no harmful effects in healthy people from eating foods high in potassium. The effects of insufficient potassium (Hypokalemia) and too much potassium (Hyperkalemia) are shown in the table below.
People at risk of both hypokalemia and hyperkalemia should talk to their healthcare providers about how much potassium they can safely get from food and supplements. As always this information is provided for your reference and you use at your own risk; you should rely on your medical professional for medical advice.
Dr. Young Ju is a Ph.D and Associate Professor of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech.
References
Cleveland Clinic, Hyperkalemia. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15184-hyperkalemia-high-blood-potassium
Mayo Clinic, Low Potassium. https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/low-potassium/basics/definition/sym-20050632
NAS National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. Washington, DC; The National Academies Press; 2019.
NIH National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements-Potassium https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Potassium-HealthProfessional/
USDA National Nutrient Database-Potassium https://www.nal.usda.gov/sites/www.nal.usda.gov/files/potassium.pdf
