THE POWER OF POTASSIUM
In years before, our diet once contained an abundance of potassium, but as our diets began including more processed foods, and fewer fresh fruits and vegetables, potassium intake levels plummeted. Scientists now suspect this may be a reason behind the recent rise in chronic diseases like heart disease and osteoporosis.

These days I'm becoming more and more concerned about this nutritional shift because prevention is the cornerstone of the chiropractic lifestyle. Most Americans fail to consume even their daily “nutritional minimum wage” resulting in scores of preventable conditions. This lifestyle includes regular chiropractic care which includes manual orthopedic therapy, exercise, nutrition and other preventative measures such as smoking cessation, and weight management. At every opportunity we encourage your patients to focus on preventing disease and illness, and be aware of the latest research.

What Is Potassium?
Potassium is an element (and an electrolyte) that's essential for the body's growth and maintenance. It's necessary to ensure:

· Normal water balance between cells and body fluids
· The response of nerves to stimulation
· The contraction of muscles
Potassium works closely with sodium, through a mechanism known as the sodium-potassium pump, to perform all of the above tasks.

Potassium occurs naturally in a wide variety of foods. As a result, a severe dietary deficiency of potassium is uncommon. However, you may be at risk of potassium deficiency a condition called hypokalemia, if you experience excessive fluid loss, through vomiting, diarrhea or sweating, or if you take certain medications such as diuretics, it's common in alcoholics, with the routine use of laxatives, and found in numerous types of eating disorders.

If a little bit is good, then a whole lot more isn't necessarily better —because abnormally elevated serum potassium concentrations are referred to as hyperkalemia. This condition occurs when potassium intake exceeds the capacity of the kidneys to eliminate it. The most serious complication of hyperkalemia is the development of an abnormal heart rhythm, which can lead to cardiac arrest and death. Additional information can be found at this link at the OSU Linus Pauling Institute, Micronutrient Research for Optimum Health: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/potassium/

New research revealing how the typical American diet, which is high in sodium, and contains a widespread amount of processed foods low in fresh fruits and vegetables, leaving many, although not severely deficient, lacking in potassium. In other words, the modern diet is upsetting the delicate balance between potassium and sodium in the body. And this imbalance may be setting up many only to look forward to causing chronic health problems to occur as we age.

A study in the scientific journal Physiologia Plantarum explains: "until recently, humans consumed a diet high in potassium. However with the increasing consumption of processed food, in which potassium is for the most part removed, combined with a reduction in the consumption of fruits and vegetables, there’s been a large decrease in potassium intake… much evidence shows that increasing potassium intake has beneficial effects on human health."

The study goes on to explain that the positive effects of increased potassium intake include lowering blood pressure, slowing the progress of kidney disease, and decreasing the risk of kidney stones and osteoporosis. The researchers conclude that the "the best way to increase potassium intake is to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables." (Physiol Plant 2008;133:725-35).

Potassium is One Way to Lower Blood Pressure
Exciting research presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition November 2008 in Philadelphia, PA found that low levels of potassium in the diet may be equally as important to monitor as are high levels of sodium.

"There's been a lot of publicity about lowering salt or sodium in the diet in order to lower blood pressure, but not enough on increasing dietary potassium," comments lead author Susan Hedayati, MD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and the Dallas VA Medical Center.

The researchers analyzed data on approximately 3,300 subjects and discovered a strong relationship between potassium levels and blood pressure. "The lower the potassium in the urine, hence the lower the potassium in the diet, the higher the blood pressure," says Dr. Hedayati. "This effect was even stronger than the effect of sodium and blood pressure."

The relationship between low potassium and high blood pressure remained significant even when age, race and other cardiovascular risk factors, including high cholesterol, diabetes and smoking, were taken into account. The researchers "urge efforts to increase the amount of potassium in the diet, as well as lowering sodium."

"High potassium foods include fruits such as bananas and citrus fruits and vegetables," says Dr. Hedayati. "Consuming a larger amount of these foods in the diet may lower blood pressure."

The Relationship between Potassium & Osteoporosis
Potassium also plays an important role in maintaining bone health. Researchers have long established that potassium prevents the excretion of calcium from the body. For instance, a 1993 study called "Potassium Causes Calcium Retention in Healthy Adults" in the Journal of Nutrition found that administering potassium to healthy adults reduced their urinary calcium excretion (J Nutr 1993;123:1623-6).

And the effects of potassium on calcium retention are not just short term. A report published in the journal Osteoporosis Int'l looked at the long-term effects of potassium intake on bone mineral density (BMG) among 266 elderly women. The study found that women with higher levels of potassium had significantly higher BMG after one year and after five years.
The researchers conclude: "potassium intake shows positive association with bone density in elderly women, suggesting that increasing consumption of food rich in potassium may play a role in osteoporosis prevention" (Osteoporos Int 2008; Epub.)

Beyond the Jungle & the Bananas —a Good Source Of Potassium
Most fresh fruits and vegetables are good sources of potassium. To increase your potassium intake, cut down on processed food and eat lots of fresh produce. To get the most potassium benefit out of your produce, cook it as little as possible, blanching or steaming is best, and a raw is even better. Baking will also maintain many nutrients usually lost in the water with simmering or heavy steaming. White meats, fish, dried fruits and nuts are what are referred to as other potassium rich ‘money’ foods.

We all think of bananas as a good source of potassium, there are actually many other fruits and vegetables packed with even more potassium. For example, while one banana contains 467.28 mg of potassium (13.4% daily value) 1 c. of steamed Swiss chard contains 960.7 mg (27.4% daily value). Other excellent, and perhaps surprising, sources of potassium include Crimini mushrooms, spinach, baked winter squash, broccoli, celery, molasses, tomato, raisins, carrots, papaya, avocado and beans.

So what would you say is the adequate daily intake for potassium?

According to the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine report infants up to 6 months should have 400 mg and 7-12 months about 700 mg for boys and girls. Children ages 1 to 3 should have 3,000 mg and ages 4 to 8 3,800 mg and ages 9 to 13 about 4,500 mg daily. Adolescents ages 14 to 18 and all adults should have 4,700 mg daily between both genders. If pregnant, similar daily requirements are suggested of 4,700 mg and if breast-feeding 5,100 mg of daily potassium in the diet.

All the best,


Lewis Meltz, DC