The Importance of Potassium for a Healthy Heart and Body

The Role of Potassium for Heart Function

Potassium is one of many nutrients that plays an important role in maintaining a healthy heart. In fact, it can considered the most important. This element allows our muscles to contract and our heart is the most important muscle. The potassium that we obtain from our diet is crucial in keeping our hearts beating. Also, a diet that is lower in potassium than sodium often results in high blood pressure, which is a dangerous condition to be in. The combination of these effects on your body correlates to a higher risk of heart attack and/or stroke. Taking this into account, we must pay strict attention to consuming enough potassium.

Potassium and Your Diet

So, one of the leading causes of heart disease is lack of potassium in one's diet. Why is this the case?  The modern diet often contains high amounts of protein, fats, sugars, and salt, which contain very little to no potassium. In order to obtain potassium we must eat enough fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. The recommended amount of potassium is 3500 mg a day. This should be considered a minimum amount, unless one is on a potassium restricted diet. The problem is, most people only consume about half of this on a daily basis. The bottom line is: EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES! You may be thinking, "Well, that's not a supplement."  Unfortunately, potassium supplements you buy from the drug store are limited to 99 mg a tablet, but for good reason. Consuming too much supplemental potassium at once can cause serious health issues in some people, therefore the FDA as restricted supplements to a very low level. However there is a work around to getting more potassium in your diet if you aren't one of those who are restricted: Salt substitutes.

Salt Substitutes

Before I begin, I must stress that you not use salt substitutes if you have any type of kidney disease. Please consult your doctor if you are unsure. Your kidneys are responsible for excreting excess minerals, so if they are not functioning 100 percent you risk retaining too much potassium.  Most people can use salt substitutes with absolutely no risk. Salt substitutes aren't considered supplements, so they aren't restricted to 99 mg by the FDA. In fact, the serving size of the average salt substitute is typically 1/4 teaspoon and 650 mg of potassium. As you can see, this is a wonderful source of potassium to add to your diet! Another plus is by adding this, you are also lowering your sodium intake. A double whammy for a healthier heart. Keep in mind, that even healthy people can overdo the use of this. Use a maximum of a few servings of a day to reduce the risk of getting to much. Like many things, balance is key.

Loss of Potassium

There are many things that can cause a loss of potassium. This in addition to not getting enough can result in a very serious situation. Here is a list of potassium excreting agents:

• Tobacco use
• Alcohol use
• Drug use
• Caffiene use
• Exercise and sweating (keep doing this!)
• Stress
• GI problems
• Diuretics

As you can see, there is a reason why people who have a combination of any of the above, combined with poor potassium intake, often  develop heart disease. For the sake of your life, cut out smoking and moderate the use of alcohol and caffeine. They are all powerful at stimulating the release of potassium from our bodies.

Conclusion

Along with maintaining a good intake of potassium, it is of utmost importance that we also pay attention to those things that draw it from our bodies. If there is one nutrient that is most important to our survival it is potassium.