| Some potassium supplements are available in health food stores at doses of 99 milligrams per tablet. This is equivalent to about one inch of a banana. These do not require prescriptions, but are much lower in strength than those that do.
C) Take With: Those taking diuretics are at risk of magnesium and zinc deficiencies as well as potassium deficiency. (See sections on Magnesium and Zinc.) Discuss with your physician the desirability of taking these minerals in supplementary form. |
Sheldon Saul Hendler and David Rorvik
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 A major metaanalysis designed to assess the effects of potassium supplements on blood pressure examined data from 33 randomized, controlled trials involving 2,609 subjects. The researchers concluded that low potassium intake may be an important contributor to hypertension and that increased potassium intake can both prevent and treat hypertension, particularly in those who cannot or will not reduce their sodium intake.
The study found that potassium supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in mean systolic blood pressure of 3. |
Nicola Reavley
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 Cautions
Those with dehydration, heat cramps, ulcers, kidney disease or who are taking drugs which cause the kidney to retain potassium should avoid potassium supplements.
QUICK GUIDE
Essential for water balance in the body muscle contraction acid-alkali balance nerve impulse transmission energy production stomach acid production
Absorption and metabolism
Sodium is easily absorbed.
Deficiency
Sodium deficiency is rare and toxic effects from high intakes are of greater concern. Deficiency may occur in high temperatures due to hard exercise or manual work. |
Sheldon Saul Hendler
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 Those who take diuretics should have their potassium status monitored periodically and use potassium supplements as recommended by their physicians. It is important to note that many on weight-reducing diets may be using diuretics (herbal or otherwise) that they obtain without a physician's prescription. Those individuals should also have their potassium status regularly monitored.
For diuretic users, an extra 1.5 grams or 40 mEq of potassium daily are usually enough to maintain potassium balance. |
Joe Graedon and Teresa Graedon
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 Without frequent blood tests to monitor serum potassium levels, the combination of potassium supplements and one of these ACE inhibitors can lead to excessive levels of the mineral (over 5.5 mEq/L). This interaction could lead to irregular heart rhythms and cardiac arrest. Deaths have been reported.
Elderly patients and those with kidney problems appear at highest risk from this interaction. Diabetes may also contribute to the danger. Otherwise healthy patients may have no trouble. |
| But long-term use—by people taking diuretic blood pressure pills who are simultaneously prescribed potassium supplements, for example—could eventually result in depletion of body stores of this crucial vitamin. Ask your doctor to evaluate your situation, as injections are usually the most effective means of supplementing vitamin B12.
Beta Carotene, Vitamin E, and Alcohol
Little red capsules of beta carotene are probably among the hottest items on the vitamin shelf these days. |
| When these drugs are combined with potassium supplements or salt substitutes that contain potassium, serum potassium levels could rise into the dangerous range. This situation could be life threatening. Irregular heart rhythms and cardiac arrest might occur. Deaths have been reported.
Elderly patients and those with kidney problems appear to be at the highest risk for this interaction. Diabetes may also contribute to the danger. Patients with very low potassium levels may sometimes be prescribed a potassium-sparing diuretic together with a potassium supplement. |
Nicola Reavley
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| Researchers at Johns Hopkins University looked at 33 randomized controlled trials with over 2069 participants in which potassium supplements were used. Positive effects were seen with a decrease in mean systolic pressure of 3.11 mmHg and in diastolic pressure of 1.97 mmHg. The effects were enhanced in those exposed to a high intake of sodium. |
| Potassium may protect against cardiovascular diseases in a number of ways: by reducing free radical formation; proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells; platelet aggregation; and blood clotting.3 potassium supplements are used to treat heart arrhythmias.
Kidney stones
Higher potassium intakes may be beneficial in preventing kidney stones formation. Researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers in Northern California have found that giving potassium-magnesium citrate to kidney stone sufferers reduces the risk of them developing further stones. |
| Researchers at Johns Hopkins University looked at 33 randomized controlled trials with over 2069 participants in which potassium supplements were used. Positive effects were seen with a decrease in mean systolic pressure of 3.11 mm Hg and in diastolic pressure of 1.97 mm Hg. The effects were enhanced in those exposed to a high intake of sodium. |
Sheldon Saul Hendler
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| Also, there are indications that the chloride in salt and in some potassium supplements may actually be the factor responsible for some of these confusing results.
So where does this leave us? As I said right at the beginning of this section, we don't understand very much about essential hypertension. We do know that there are many factors associated with it and that people respond differently to these factors. Overall, diets rich in potassium appear to be protective against essential hypertension. |
Nicola Reavley
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| Cautions
Those with kidney disease or ulcers should not take potassium supplements.
The average body contains about 140 g of potassium.
What it does in the body
Potassium has many functions in addition to those mentioned above. It is essential for protein synthesis and for the conversion of blood sugar into glycogen. It activates a number of enzymes, particularly those concerned with energy production. It stimulates normal movements of the intestinal tract.
Absorption and metabolism
Absorption of potassium from the diet is passive and does not require any specific mechanism. |
Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.
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 Magnesium and potassium: Magnesium and potassium supplements should not be taken by people with kidney disease.
Niacin (Vitamin B3): This vitamin (which is often prescribed for high blood cholesterol) should be used with caution by anyone with severe diabetes, glaucoma, peptic ulcers, impaired liver function, or gout. If you have any of these conditions, check with your doctor before taking niacin. If you do use niacin, niacinamide is the preferred form; it reduces side effects such as the hot flush that can often result from niacin supplements.
St. |
Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.
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 Some of the specific elements of the Gerson diet include:
• over a dozen glasses a day of freshly pressed vegetable and fruit juices (primarily carrot juice);
• a daily vegetable soup;
• a low-sodium, high-potassium diet, with potassium supplements;
• iodine supplements (Lugol's solution) for some patients;
• patient education and mutual support; and
• coffee enemas every three to four hours; and
• raw liver juice (discontinued at the Gerson hospital since 1989, because of bacterial and parasitic contamination of most commercially-available liver). |
Gary Null
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 Regular potassium supplements will leave you on a much more even keel than the emotional roller coaster caused by sugar or caffeine.59
So whether you are trying to soothe a colicky infant, cure a chronically constipated senior citizen, improve the prowess of an athletic adolescent, overcome the irritability and apathy of hypoglycemia, or prevent the complications of diabetes and heart disease, extra potassium is the best bet for you and your whole family.
A Practical Guide to Using Potassium
Adding potassium to your diet is easy. |
| It is a good idea to take extra potassium supplements under these circumstances.
You may be suffering from a potassium deficiency if you have any of the following symptoms: "worn out" tissues, swelling, skin disorders, nervous and emotional problems, poorly toned muscles, digestive problems, or urinary difficulties. Check with your physician, who will prescribe a supplement if you are low in potassium. And eat lots of fruits and vegetables!
Few of us suffer from having too much potassium. For one thing, our kidneys are programmed to excrete any surplus. |
Natural Prescriptions: Dr. Giller's Natural Treatments & Vitamin Therapies For Over 100 Common AilmentsRobert M. Giller, M.D.
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| You can either rely on potassium supplements or you can make a concerted effort to get it from food sources. In one study, people were able to reduce medications for hypertension by half simply by consuming a diet rich in potassium. Particularly good sources are fresh fruits and vegetables such as potatoes, peas, peppers, eggplant, pears, squash, lima beans, tomatoes, and bananas.
A diet that is low in fiber will promote hypertension as well as a host of other chronic ailments. The benefits of a high-fiber diet are dramatic in someone whose pressure is high. |
John Heinerman
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 Using stroke-prone rats that were bred to have dangerously high blood pressure, he fed half a regular diet and half a diet with potassium supplements. Only 2% of the rats on the high potassium diet died from strokes, compared to 83% on the regular diet. His findings led him to speculate that potassium actually protects against strokes and kidney disease, and that his rat studies suggest the way a high potassium diet may act in humans.
The October 1986 issue of Sports Fitness, which reported Dr. Tobi-an's work, recommended navy beans (1 cup = 750 mg.) or lima beans (1 cup = 1163 mg. |
Earl Mindell
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 However, people with impaired kidney function should not eat foods high in potassium or take potassium supplements.
65. Selenium
Facts:
Vitamin E and selenium are synergistic. This means that the two together increase the potency of each other.
Both vitamin E and selenium are antioxidants, preventing or at least slowing down aging and hardening of tissues through oxidation.
Selenium is critical for the production of glutathione peroxidase, the body's primary antioxidant that is found in every cell.
Males appear to have a greater need for selenium. |
Gary Null
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 Rather than stop the diuretic, his physicians prescribed another diuretic which was supposed to save potassium, and he was also given potassium supplements. For the arrhythmia, he was given two other heart medications. The diuretic elevated his blood sugar level. Rather than stop the diuretic and treat the elevation in blood sugar level with a diet and exercise regimen, the family doctor started the patient on an oral medication for diabetes and then switched him to insulin, which he later increased to 130 units. All of this occurred over a five-year period.
When he came to Dr. |
Nicola Reavley
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| The greatest blood pressure-lowering effect of potassium supplements occurs in patients with severe hypertension. This effect is pronounced with prolonged potassium supplementation. Potassium may help to lower blood pressure in several ways, including enhancing sodium excretion, by directly dilating blood vessels, or lowering cardiovascular reactivity to body chemicals which constrict blood vessels. |
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