Potassium Benefits
The Benefits of Potassium
By: Dr. George Obikoya
Potassium is an electrolyte (a substance that maintains
your body's fluid levels), this mineral helps regulate blood pressure
and heart function. Research shows that increasing your potassium
intake can lower your blood pressure. Those individuals with existing
hypertension, as well as those just looking to keep their blood
pressure in check, can benefit from potassium.
A Harvard study showed that men who took a potassium supplement
with a diuretic decreased their incidence of stroke by 60 percent,
compared to men who did not. Potassium neutralizes acids and restores
alkaline salts to the bloodstream. Potassium works with sodium in
all cells including at nerve synapses to maintain or restore membrane
potentials and to assist in metabolic processes. Potassium is critical
to our cardiovascular and nerve functioning, regulating the transfer
of nutrients into cells and facilitating muscle energy.
Potassium also regulates water balance and assists recuperative
powers. Potassium aids rheumatic or arthritic conditions (causing
acids to leave the joints and ease stiffness). Potassium is crucial
for the elimination of wastes. Potassium is a natural pain desensitizer.
Potassium helps control convulsions, headaches and migraines, promotes
faster healing of cuts, bruises and other injuries and generally
contributes to a sense of well being. Potassium is stored in the
muscles. Body builders use a "potassium load" to give their muscles
more energy but there is no scientific proof of its effectiveness.
Potassium naturally wants to bind to something to form a potassium
compound. Since the human body is very inefficient at breaking down
compound minerals, only a small percentage of the Potassium we consume
actually gets used. To be utilized, Potassium must be in elemental
form. The Potassium molecule needs be small enough to enter an individual
cell, and it must be inside a water molecule.
Thus, Potassium must be water-soluble. Water-soluble minerals cannot
build up in the body. Therefore they do not reach toxic levels.
You can also get your potassium by eating lots of produce - bananas,
orange juice, dried dates, and apricots. You need about 3,500 mg
daily, but over-the-counter supplements contain no more than 99
mg.
The small amount of potassium in your multivitamin is fine, and
don't take more than 99 mg daily in supplement form because it can
irritate your stomach. The effective dose of potassium you need?
Take a multivitamin and eat at least five servings of fruits and
vegetables daily.
Potassium taken in excess can throw off your electrolyte balance
and slow your heart down to dangerous levels. Potassium supplementation
is, however, important for people taking certain types of diuretics,
those that are non-potassium sparing such as Lasix.
Some Symptoms of Potassium Deficiency include poor circulation,
bluish tint to skin, Chronic-Fatigue Syndrome, diabetes, earaches,
edema, headaches, heart palpitations, hypertension, insomnia, intestinal
pain, muscle weakness, oppressive breathing, pain in the eyes, prolapsed
uterus, swollen glands, tissue anemia, and water retention.
All wasting diseases are associated with loss of potassium from
the tissues. Potassium deficiency disturbs the excitability of tissues
and leads to paralysis of muscle, including cardiac muscle. Sodium
and potassium are two of the most important ions in maintaining
the homeostatic equilibrium of the body fluids.
It is important that one be very careful in choosing a top quality
supplement manufacturer when buying your mineral, including potassium.
Take the following precautions when doing so:
Because minerals work synergistically, it is important that your
supplement be formulated by scientists with top notch credentials.
Many products on the market are simply "thrown together" and many
of the ingredients can end up canceling each other out or even have
harmful consequences. Moreover, supplements that are not scientifically
formulated generally have poor bioavailability, which means that
most of the ingredients will simply pass through the system and
excreted with little to no benefit.
Because the supplement industry is not regulated in the U.S., consumers
only have a one in five chance of buying what is stated on the label.
Not only that, but many supplements have been verified by independent
third party tests to have toxic contaminants, such as lead. It is
therefore absolutely crucial that you choose a manufacturer that
follows pharmaceutical GMP compliance, which is the highest standard
possible.
Choose a mineral supplement that uses the chelated form. Chelated
minerals are ones that are attached to protein molecules, which
in turns allows them easier transport into the bloodstream for better
absorption. Minerals that can come in chelated form are: boron,
manganese, molybdenum, selenium, vanadium. Call or email the company
and ask if they have a certificate of analysis on file, confirming
the potency of each batch. Avoid companies that do not respond or
waver in their answer.
A good multivitamin is the foundation of health
and nutrition. Take a look at our scientific reviews of many of
the popular brands for factors such as ingredients, areas of improvement,
quality level, and overall value. If you are looking for a high
quality liquid multivitamin, we suggest that you take a look at
the Multivitamin
Product Comparisons.
VITAPELN contains a patented AquaMin(TM) Trace Minerals Complex and 165 scientifically formulated nutrients--all in a highly absorbable liquid formula.
References
1. Christin Marandino, Vegetarian Times, August 1998
2. Health & Medicine. (Statistical Data Included) American Fitness,
July, 1999
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