11/19/2023 0 Comments Potassium element uses![]() These values, which vary by age and sex, include the following: DRI is the general term for a set of reference values used for planning and assessing nutrient intakes of healthy people. Intake recommendations for potassium and other nutrients are provided in the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) developed by expert committees of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). ![]() Other methods to measure potassium status include collecting balance data (measuring net potassium retention and loss) measuring the total amount of potassium or the total amount of exchangeable potassium in the body and conducting tissue analyses (e.g., muscle biopsies), but all have limitations. Although blood potassium levels can provide some indication of potassium status, they often correlate poorly with tissue potassium stores. Otherwise, in healthy individuals with normal kidney function, abnormally low or high blood levels of potassium are rare.Īssessing potassium status is not routinely done in clinical practice, and it is difficult to do because most potassium in the body is inside cells. Diarrhea, vomiting, kidney disease, use of certain medications, and other conditions that alter potassium excretion or cause transcellular potassium shifts can cause hypokalemia (serum levels below 3.6 mmol/L) or hyperkalemia (serum levels above 5.0 mmol/L). Normal serum concentrations of potassium range from about 3.6 to 5.0 mmol/L and are regulated by a variety of mechanisms. This, combined with other obligatory losses, suggests that potassium balance cannot be achieved with intakes less than about 400–800 mg/day. The kidneys can adapt to variable potassium intakes in healthy individuals, but a minimum of 5 mmol (about 195 mg) potassium is excreted daily in urine. The kidneys control potassium excretion in response to changes in dietary intakes, and potassium excretion increases rapidly in healthy people after potassium consumption, unless body stores are depleted. Potassium is excreted primarily in the urine, some is excreted in the stool, and a very small amount is lost in sweat. About 90% of ingested potassium is absorbed and used to maintain its normal intracellular and extracellular concentrations. ![]() Potassium is absorbed via passive diffusion, primarily in the small intestine. In addition to maintaining cellular tonicity, this gradient is required for proper nerve transmission, muscle contraction, and kidney function. The intracellular concentration of potassium is about 30 times higher than the extracellular concentration, and this difference forms a transmembrane electrochemical gradient that is maintained via the sodium-potassium (Na+/K+) ATPase transporter. Most potassium resides intracellularly, and a small amount is in extracellular fluid. The total amount of potassium in the adult body is about 45 millimole (mmol)/kg body weight (about 140 g for a 175 pound adult 1 mmol = 1 milliequivalent or 39.1 mg potassium). Potassium has a strong relationship with sodium, the main regulator of extracellular fluid volume, including plasma volume. Potassium is present in all body tissues and is required for normal cell function because of its role in maintaining intracellular fluid volume and transmembrane electrochemical gradients. Potassium, the most abundant intracellular cation, is an essential nutrient that is naturally present in many foods and available as a dietary supplement. For a general overview of Potassium, see our consumer fact sheet on Potassium. This is a fact sheet intended for health professionals.
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