Have the low potassium It is a very common condition, but often underestimated. The deficiency of potassium in the blood, also called hypokalemia, can have different causes including endocrine ones and contribute over time to the onset of numerous disorders that work against health and healthy longevity, such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases. The potassium it is in fact a micronutrient that plays a crucial role in various processes and functions of the body. This mineral is able to preserve calcium in the bones and protect the heart from disorders and diseases by counteracting one of the main risk factors, hypertension. But how can we understand that we lack it and what should we do to best integrate it? We asked the question to the doctor Sara Piazzadietitian of Ravenna Medical Center. Here’s everything you need to know about low potassium, the body’s signs, and how to fix it.
What is potassium
«Potassium is an electrolyte involved in cellular regulation and processes» explains dietician Sara Piazza. «It is the mineral most present in the body and which it needs most. According to the WHO, the daily requirement of this mineral is greater than 3500 mg for adults, both women and men.”
What is potassium used for?
«Potassium, together with calcium, magnesium and other minerals, is essential for various physiological processes in the body. For example, it contributes to maintaining the balance of cellular fluids, especially in relation to the amount of sodium present.”
Because potassium is low
«There are mainly two reasons why you may have low potassium: an inadequate intake of this mineral in the diet or its excessive expulsion through the urine» explains dietician Sara Piazza. But what are the most common factors that lower potassium? «The factor that plays a determining role, as emerges from various studies, is the lack of this mineral in our diet. Having low potassium can also be a consequence of the presence of digestive system disorders, such as vomiting or diarrhea” says the expert. «Even excessive use of laxative or diuretic drugs can cause a lowering of the levels of this mineral». In summer, with the heat the risks of suffering from low potassium increase. «With the increase in external temperatures the body tends to sweat more and the leakage of liquids causes a loss of this mineral».
How to understand if you have a potassium deficiency?
What does low potassium mean and what are the body’s signals not to be underestimated? «The symptoms of hypokalemia are often drowsiness, nausea, muscle weakness, cramps and spasms up to severe paralysis, but also myopathy and kidney problems. In case of low potassium, alterations in the heart rhythm can also develop” explains dietician Sara Piazza. «To understand if you have low potassium you can use the measurement of the potassium level through a blood test, which can be associated with the electrocardiogram and sometimes the measurement of the quantity of this mineral in the urine».
How to increase potassium fast
How to fix low potassium? «To increase potassium quickly, first of all it is useful to include foods that contain it in a well-balanced diet on a daily basis» suggests dietician Sara Piazza. «Among the foods richest in potassium there are vegetables, such as green leafy ones and tomatoes, especially consumed raw or quickly steamed. Potassium is in fact water-soluble and tends to disperse when cooked in water.” Another excellent source of potassium is seasonal fruit. «In the summer period the varieties that are richest in it are melon, apricots, peaches» says the expert. «Potatoes, courgettes, green beans, legumes and unsalted nuts, including walnuts and almonds, also provide good quantities of potassium. And finally the dried fruit. Eating a couple of plums, dates or dried apricots contributes significantly to the daily requirement of this mineral” says dietician Sara Piazza. «When you have low potassium, you can evaluate, with the help of your doctor, theintegration of this mineral in adequate doses and in combination with magnesium.”
Chicken, peach and green bean salad
Chicken cooked in its own broth, shredded and enriched with tuna, fruit and vegetables, for a chicken salad with a rich and enveloping flavour: discover the recipe
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