Potassium

[Deb1838]

Hi everyone I want to try a potassium supplement but I am not sure what I am looking for and there seems to be so many products.

Can anyone give me any advice, I can’t eat bananas. Many thanks Deb x

[10gingercats]

Call me a silly ginger kitten if you like but i would not 'mess' with potassium.Too high or too low...neither is good. get tested via your GP.But others here will have views and opinions too.

[Deb1838 in reply to 10gingercats]

Ok thank you ginger

[bantam12 in reply to Deb1838]

Definitely don't mess with it if you don't know your level, my husbands potassium (not supplementing) went to high and it meant an emergency admission to hospital.

[Deb1838 in reply to bantam12]

Definitely won’t take a supplement then. Many thanks

[Waverly1 in reply to bantam12]

I have a question for you -- my potassium was a bit high in my last lab, 5.4. I eliminated some supplements (turmeric, a multi, and Citrucel) and kind of tried to keep to lower potassium foods. Three weeks later I tested again, and down to 4.6. I don't have any kidney problems, so that would not cause the high number. Do you mind if I ask, does your husband have any kidney disease? Does he continue to try to eat lower potassium foods? I'm just trying to figure out if I have to continue to monitor my potassium. I'm hoping that maybe it was just the supplements that were tipping me over the edge. But in general, your body is supposed to be able to get rid of excess potassium. I will be seeing my doctor next week, so maybe I will get some more answers. Thanks!

[bantam12 in reply to Waverly1]

Yes he does have kidney disease and has to strictly limit foods high in potassium.

[bantam12 in reply to Waverly1]

Bloods taken at the GP can give a false high result if shaken up or time between taking and getting to lab is to long.

[dmjtanner in reply to Waverly1]

If the tourniquet is left on the arm too long before the blood is drawn it can result in a false high level.

Also the orange juice I drink each day says 8oz has 450 mg of potassium and that is only 10% of the daily requirement. I always wonder how we even get our 100% of potassium daily. Potassium supplements by law are only 99mg. So they really aren't worth much. Kidney issues and certain diuretics can cause potassium levels to drop...and some potassium sparing meds can cause potassium to go too high.

[Waverly1 in reply to dmjtanner]

Interesting about the tourniquet. They always have a hard time finding a vein on me so the tourniquet is on longer and tighter. I mostly have read that if you are still squeezing (especially pumping) your fist as the blood is drawn, it might give a high reading.

Regarding the OJ, the potassium adds up fast, since it's in just about everything. I thought the same thing until I started tracking it using chronometer.com.

[dmjtanner in reply to Waverly1]

Thanks for that info, I'll have to track mine for a day.

[Waverly1 in reply to dmjtanner]

(Oh and I made a mistake, it's "cronometer.com")

[dmjtanner in reply to Waverly1]

Thank you!

[Dickydon in reply to 10gingercats]

Def agree with ginger, I was warned about a year ago that my P level was dangerously too high and to cut back on eating too many bananas. I said I don't eat bananas as I don't like them but did drink a lot of coconut water, high potassium product. So stopped drinking it. I was having the real thing not from cartons but live near a shop that has the big green young coconuts they cut the top for me drink the water then cut open the green coconut and the eat the white jelly nut flesh. So good and healthy BUT in extreme moderation one a week now! Latest blood test shows potassium level within range!

[Deb1838 in reply to Dickydon]

Will leave it alone then. Many thanks

[Dickydon in reply to Deb1838]

Deb, I suppose get your blood tests done and see where your Potassium levels are. Below is my recent full blood count test result for potassium so I'm within normal range.

Serum potassium level 4.0 mmol/L [3.5 - 5.3]

[Deb1838 in reply to Dickydon]

Thank you getting results next week

[Dickydon in reply to Deb1838]

Good luck

[jeanjeannie50]

Many fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium.

I would try to get yours naturally, that's how I get mine. Foods to eat are:

Bananas, oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew, apricots, (some dried fruits, such as prunes, raisins, and dates, are also high in potassium)

Cooked spinach.

Cooked broccoli.

Potatoes.

Sweet potatoes.

Mushrooms.

Peas.

Cucumbers.

[Deb1838 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thank you jean very useful information

[fairgo45 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Dont forget coconut water a great way to top up potassium

[Sim22]

Hi Deb

I would not fiddle with your electrolytes just ensure you have a good balance in your diet. Before I retired I was a medical microbiologist, small change s in electrolytes can have a dramatic effect on your physiology have a chat with your GP especially is you have cardiac issues

[Ppiman]

I would ask my GP to check my blood levels first as I understand the kidneys aren’t that keen on excess minerals such as potassium. It is also very widely available and very easily absorbed from a normal varied diet - plums, prunes and bananas for example.

[Deb1838 in reply to Ppiman]

Thank you I am going to stay away from it

[Ppiman in reply to Deb1838]

I would get a blood test done looking at calcium, magnesium and potassium as these are the three electrolytes that can lead to heart arrhythmia. That said, magnesium levels can’t usefully be measured by any test - but genuine deficiency is unusual.

Steve

[wilsond]

Potassium is also found in potatoes cooked in their skins,and tomatoes. My dad had kidney failure and was on low potassium diet,had to avoid the above and banana's. Why do you feel you might be low? Xx

[Hidden]

Potassium might be your problem, but try this - worked for me:

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After 9 years of trying different foods and logging EVERYTHING I ate, I found sugar (and to a lesser degree, salt – i.e. dehydration) was triggering my Afib. Doctors don't want to hear this - there is no money in telling patients to eat less sugar. Each person has a different sugar threshold - and it changes as you get older, so you need to count every gram of sugar you eat every day (including natural sugars in fruits, etc.). My tolerance level was 190 grams of sugar per day 8 years ago, 85 grams a year and a half ago, and 60 grams today, so AFIB episodes are more frequent and last longer. If you keep your intake of sugar below your threshold level your AFIB will not happen again (easier said than done of course). It's not the food - it's the sugar (or salt - see below) IN the food that's causing your problems. Try it and you will see - should only take you 1 or 2 months of trial-and-error to find your threshold level. And for the record - ALL sugars are treated the same (honey, refined, agave, natural sugars in fruits, etc.). I successfully triggered AFIB by eating a bunch of plums and peaches one day just to test it out. In addition, I have noticed that moderate exercise (7-mile bike ride or 5-mile hike in the park) often puts my Afib heart back in to normal rhythm a couple hours later. Don’t know why – perhaps you burn off the excess sugars in your blood/muscles or sweat out excess salt?? I also found that strenuous exercise does no good – perhaps you make yourself dehydrated??

Also, in addition to sugar, if you are dehydrated - this will trigger AFIB as well. It seems (but I have no proof of this) that a little uptick of salt in your blood is being treated the same as an uptick of sugar - both cause AFIB episodes. (I’m not a doctor – it may be the sugar in your muscles/organs and not in your blood, don’t know). In any case you have to keep hydrated, and not eat too much salt. The root problem is that our bodies are not processing sugar/salt properly and no doctor knows why, but the AFIB seems to be a symptom of this and not the primary problem, but medicine is not advanced enough to know the core reason that causes AFIB at this time. You can have a healthy heart and still have Afib – something inside us is triggering it when we eat too much sugar or get (even a little) dehydrated. Find out the core reason for this and you will be a millionaire and make the cover of Time Magazine! Good luck! - Rick Hyer

PS – there is a study backing up this data you can view at:

Cardiab.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2840-7-28