Principles and methods of potassium supplementation

Generally speaking, when supplementing potassium, you should not take some medicines at the beginning. These medicines will cause accidental harm to your body. You should start with diet first. When some patients do not have any effect after taking some diet, you can take medicine. Only in this way can you avoid various complications after supplementing potassium.

Potassium is an essential nutrient for human growth. It accounts for 5% of the body's inorganic salts and is very important for maintaining a healthy nervous system and regulating heart rhythm. It prevents stroke, maintains normal muscle contraction, and works with sodium to maintain fluid balance. Clinically, many patients are deficient in potassium due to various reasons, such as frequent vomiting, diarrhea and long-term gastrointestinal drainage, which increase the excretion of potassium from the digestive tract; certain kidney diseases and the use of potassium-excreting diuretics increase the excretion of potassium from the kidneys.

Patients with hyperadrenocortical syndrome or long-term use of adrenocortical hormones will increase potassium excretion; high-temperature work, high-intensity labor and training will cause excessive sweating and potassium loss. The above reasons lead to a decrease in the total amount of potassium in the body. When the serum potassium is lower than 3.5mmol/L, it can be diagnosed as hypokalemia based on the condition.

When potassium is deficient, the clinical symptoms are often masked by the primary disease. Potassium deficiency reduces neuromuscular excitability, causes general weakness, and reduced reaction ability. In severe cases, it may lead to flaccid paralysis and difficulty breathing. It also causes digestive tract dysfunction, with anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and bloating. In severe cases, there may be intestinal paralysis and intestinal obstruction. Potassium deficiency increases myocardial irritability and causes arrhythmias, atrioventricular conduction block, and even atrial and ventricular fibrillation.

The treatment of potassium deficiency should be based on actively treating the primary disease and eliminating the cause to reduce potassium loss. While doctors are considering potassium supplementation with medication, patients with mild or chronic potassium deficiency who can take food orally should eat more potassium-rich foods.

The mineral potassium is useful in treating severe high blood pressure, stroke, muscle atrophy, heart disease, rickets, and even cancer. Since the recommended intake of potassium is between 2000 and 4000 mg, and it is not yet confirmed how much role potassium can play in saving lives, I suggest that you eat as much potassium-containing foods as possible, because the potassium in the human body mainly comes from food. Beans (such as black beans, green beans, fresh peas), lean meat, dairy products, eggs, potatoes, tea, sunflower seeds, grains, raisins, green leafy vegetables (such as spinach, beets, etc.), fruits (such as bananas, oranges, lemons, apricots, plums, nectarines), etc. are rich in potassium.

Since potassium is mainly present in cells and is dissolved and precipitated after tissue damage, it is relatively rich in fruit juice, vegetable soup and gravy. People who are potassium-deficient can drink more delicious thick soups made with the above-mentioned potassium-rich foods. However, some patients with high blood potassium due to renal failure need to limit the intake of the above foods.