by Liz Pavek

                                                         

There are at least 9 enzymes that can only function in the presence of sufficient quantities of potassium.  If enough potassium is not present, nitrogen will be lost, and this means that protein cannot be assimilated.

  Chronic illness, malnutrition, extensive surgery, vomiting or diarrhea are the major causes of potassium depletion.  When food is pushed through the intestines too quickly, as is the case with the use of laxatives or purgatives, not enough nutrients can be absorbed. This includes, of course, potassium.  Hormone products like cortisone also cause a malabsorption of potassium because sodium increases (Ever see a patient on cortisone?  They are badly disfigured by edema caused by the drug. My son had lipoid nephrosis when he was about 4 and the doctors gave him cortisone for it.  The edema from the drug was almost as bad as the edema he had before the treatment.  He looked like his cheeks were stuffed full of cotton.  Gary Coleman, the young black actor, also had this disease, and also had the characteristic puffed “cortisone” cheeks.)  For some reason, licorice also causes the body to lose potassium.  Ulcerative colitis patients have too little potassium.  (Personal experience here, too. I had u/c as a young woman, having several large ulcers in my colon. It was during this period that I experienced many heart problems, such as p.a.t. (paroxsysmal atrial tachicardia) and other disorders. The doctors did not ONCE test my potassium levels, and I suffered with the fatigue and the symptoms (as well as from the poisonous medications) for several years.

Potassium must be present in the blood in roughly a 2:1 ratio to sodium, since their jobs are related and linked. Potassium permits the release of water from the interstitial tissues, while sodium causes the tissues to retain water.  But TOO MUCH potassium causes the blood sugar to fall, and can create problems for diabetics and hypoglycemics.  Potassium is also essential for  the manufacture of growth protein and repair of damage to lean  body mass caused by low-protein, low-fat dieting.   If you feel exhausted all the time and simply have no energy or strength, you are probably potassium depleted.  Potassium is essential for muscle strength.  

J.I. Rodale says in his book, The Complete Book of Minerals for Health, "...Potassium ranks as one of the body’s most needed minerals, both for young and old.  It is closely linked to the health of muscles and nerves.  Your blood pressure, as well as glands and hormones, depend to some extent upon a sufficient amount of potassium in your body.  In addition this vital mineral aids you… in using protein efficiently.”  The heart, he goes on to say, being the body’s most important muscle, depends upon potassium in order to relax properly between contractions.   Potassium helps the heart pump hard enough to force the blood through and into the arteries.   Depletion can lead to weak myocardial tone.

The optimum dose of potassium is around 1.5 grams per day. That’s actually 1,500 mg.  Remember that you should only be getting half this amount in sodium.

Symptoms are more marked as we age.  Many people over 65 are lethargic, weak, underweight, listless, and depressed.  Recent research shows that many of these symptoms of aging, once thought to be an expected part of the process, can be reversed or greatly improved by supplementing potassium in the diets of elderly people. 

(Let me say here that using  bananas as a source of potassium is self-defeating for at least one reason:  A medium banana contains as much as 70 grams of carbohydrate, and only a few milligrams of potassium.  Remember that as we age, we become more insulin resistant.  So what happens is that the elderly person who takes a banana for their potassium is getting about six times the carbohydrates they should have just to get a fraction of the potassium they need.  Not a good trade, in my book.  It’s much better to supplement with tablets or kelp and eat an apple or some berries for fruit.)

“Potassium helps maintain normal osmotic pressure of the body fluids.  The proper level of potassium inside body cells, that is, blood cells and muscles, keeps sodium outside the cells where it belongs, in the interstitial fluids such as blood serum and plasma. 

"Red blood cells need potassium to effectively carry carbon dioxide through the blood to the lungs, where it is expelled in exchange for oxygen.  At that same time, potassium aids in maintaining slight alkalinity of the blood, which is the blood’s natural healthy state.  Because of potassium’s diuretic effect, it stimulates the excretion of water by the kidneys, ridding the body of poisonous waste materials.”--J.I. Rodale

Rodale also tells how important potassium is in preventing heat prostration and heart failure during heat waves.  Not only that, but potassium can actually neutralize some compounds that are poisonous to the heart.

Another interesting thing I found out about potassium is its importance in normal sexual behavior, probably because it is so effective against fatigue.  In 1962 research was conducted on 84 housewives and 16 men who complained of headache, insomnia, back pain, marital difficulties, and boredom.  At the end of the trial, 87% responded favorably. Among other results, marital difficulties decreased.  Sexual responsiveness improved in these patients.

Some early symptoms of deficiency are weakness, impaired muscle function, low reflexes, mental confusion, soft flabby muscles, and sagging dry skin.  In adolescents, acne is a sure-fire indicator of potassium deficiency.  Listlessness, fatigue, weakness, constipation, insomnia, slow and irregular heartbeat are also symptoms to watch for.

(Important link HERE)

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