A quick look at the benefits of potassium

By Rob Mann


People need to consume a variety of micronutrients (vitamins & minerals) & phytonutrients in order to maintain a healthy body. Potassium is among one of those significant minerals on the grounds that the body needs it to enable our organs, muscles, and cells to operate optimally. Potassium is also 1 of 3 minerals that comprise the electrolyte group of minerals (the two others are chloride and sodium). Potassium is regarded as an electrolyte given that it helps conduct electrical current when dissolved in water.

Obtaining an adequate amount of potassium in our diet regimen permits us to exploit its many benefits including assisting in the proper function of the heart, aiding with intestinal function and digestion, playing a vital role around healthy muscle tissue and nerve activity, decreasing the potential for high blood pressure levels, mitigating the adverse effects of sodium, and controlling the circulation of nutrients in our body, i.e., assimilation of nutrients into our cells, and transporting waste matter out of our cells.

They've also been claims that eating food rich in potassium and limiting sodium intake can aid in restoring the natural function of human cells and can cause the arrest or reversal of cancerous tumors.

Lower concentrations of potassium in our blood results in a condition called hypopotassemia, aka hypokalemia, and might cause several medical issues which include stomach cramping, queasiness and vomiting, hypertension, heightened potential for stroke, muscular stress and fatigue triggering muscle cramps.

Intense hypokalemia can lead to serious problems with the performance of skeletal muscle tissue and nerves resulting in respiratory depression.

The advocated dose of potassium is anywhere between 4g and 5g per day. That being said, it is very difficult to overdose on potassium. A 150 lbs. (68 Kg) person would have to consume 170g of potassium from a single sitting to reach this lethal quantity. That's the equivalent of consuming 170 avocados (or 400 bananas, or 180 baked potatoes) in just one meal!

Potassium is available in an assorted variety of foods which includes everything from fruits and vegetables, to legumes and even meat. Some widely found sources of potassium include bananas, sweet potatoes, mangoes, clams, and tomatoes. This makes it simple to acquire the proposed 5g of potassium a day if you sustain a healthy nutritious diet.

Potassium fun facts: Humans are not the only ones that need potassium to thrive. Plants need potassium as well. Lack of potassium in plants can leave them gray and with turned out edges. The use of potassium has diversified over time. Besides being an important nutrient, potassium is used in explosives and fireworks, various medicines, to make soap, in glass, and to develop photographs (potassium bromide). Potassium chloride can be used as a substitute for sodium chloride by those who need to reduce their intake of sodium.




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