Potassium is of particular importance for cellular function throughout the body. This mineral works side by side with sodium to maintain homeostasis - the balance of fluids inside and outside the cells.
Potassium also helps to transmit and regulate electrical impulses that cause heart contractions and peristalsis - muscle contractions that propagate like a wave in the intestines, moving food.
Although needed in large quantities, multivitamins do not contain more than 99 mg of potassium because there is a risk of toxic overdose. The recommended daily dose is 4700 mg, but it should not be taken at once.
Potassium is contained in them as potassium chloride , k fumarate , k. citrate , k. bicarbonate or k. orotate . The different forms differ only in the specificity of their chemical yield, but sometimes they are consistent with certain health conditions. If a special warning from a doctor to avoid some of these ingredients is not obvious, it does not matter which one will be taken - they deliver the same amount of potassium to the small intestine.
Multivitamins offer only 2% of the Indicative Daily Intake (RDA) of potassium because it is obtained in sufficient quantities from food. Any overdose of the mineral disturbs the potassium-sodium balance and leads to hyperkalemia . It is characterized by numb limbs , low and low heart rate , and in more extreme cases - heart attack .
The main dietary sources of potassium are: fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds and fish. 200 g of baked potatoes offer 1080 mg of potassium, 100 g of dried apricots - 900 mg, 100 g of raisins - 1085 mg, 100 g of ripe banana - 540 mg, and 500 g of canned green beans - 1200 mg.
Potassium is lost in particularly large amounts with sweat and it is important to eat such foods with profuse sweating, whether it is caused by physical activity or disease. If potassium falls below the critical minimum, which can occur in less than 24 hours with heavy sweating, vomiting, diarrhea or frequent urination , hypokalaemia occurs . The condition includes, but is not limited to: muscle weakness, intestinal obstruction, ECG disorders, delayed reflexes, arrhythmia and heart failure.
The most at risk of hypokalemia are those suffering from seasonal colds and flu - especially hardy and otherwise healthy people who spend the disease on their feet and become more exhausted without worrying about their fluid balance.