TOP Health BENEFITS OF POTASSIUM

The primary function of potassium is to regulate salt levels, ensuring the body can function correctly. Maintaining the proper potassium-to-sodium ratio is essential for electrolyte balance, which is crucial for proper muscle contraction and nerve transmission, fluid balance, and acid-base balance, all of which are necessary for maintaining normal blood pressure and preserving bone strength.

Potassium and sodium are both essential for the body to maintain healthy fluid and blood levels, so ensuring you receive enough of each is crucial. However, if you consume too much sodium and not enough potassium, your blood pressure may rise to dangerously high levels, which is harmful to your heart. Potassium is essential for all cells to function correctly. It regulates heartbeat, guarantees normal muscle and nerve function, and is necessary for protein synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism. Potassium was abundant in the diet thousands of years ago, when humans walked the planet gathering and hunting, whereas sodium was limited. 

Sources from which you will get potassium

Potassium is present in many plant-based foods; however, processing can reduce the levels of this nutrient. Anyone with a diet high in processed foods may have a low potassium intake. Many processed foods are also high in sodium, so a person with a highly processed diet may need to increase their potassium intake accordingly.

Overall, dried fruits and pulses are good sources of potassium. Potassium is widely available in many foods, especially fruits and vegetables, Leafy greens, beans, nuts, dairy products, etc. Also, you will get from :

• Dried fruits (raisins, apricots)
• Beans, lentils 
• Potatoes
• Spinach, broccoli
• Beet greens
• Avocado
• Bananas
• Oranges, orange juice
• Coconut water
• Tomatoes
• yogurt
• Cashews 
• Chicken
• Salmon

Potassium Deficiency

A potassium deficiency  can lead to various health problems, including:

• high blood pressure
• a risk of kidney stones
• low calcium levels in the bones

A severe deficiency can be life-threatening because it can affect the heart. A person with a mild potassium deficiency may experience:

• constipation
• fatigue
• muscle weakness
• a general feeling of being unwell
• a high urine production
• glucose intolerance
• muscular paralysis
• breathing problems
• changes in heart rhythm, in people with heart disease

Potassium deficiencies are more common in people who:

Use certain medicines. Who have physically demanding jobs. Athletes exercising in hot climates and sweating excessively have health conditions that affect their digestive absorption.

The body requires potassium as an electrolyte to stay healthy. Potassium-rich meals can help regulate blood pressure by lowering the detrimental effects of salt. High sodium levels are linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure. Potassium helps the body remove sodium, which lessens the risk in healthy people. It also helps to control blood pressure by relaxing the blood vessel walls.

Cardiovascular health and blood pressure

Potassium intake that is enough may help to avoid or manage high blood pressure. Further more, a high potassium consumption combined with a reduced sodium intake may assist to minimize the risk of heart disease. 

Maintenance of bones and muscles

Potassium may be beneficial to bone health. Studies shows that a person who consume a lot of potassium-rich fruits and vegetables may have increased bone mineral density. However, further research is needed to corroborate this. If the findings are correct, researchers will need to figure out why they happened and whether supplements have the same effect. A high-potassium diet may also aid older persons and people with health disorders that cause muscle wastage to maintain muscular mass.

Kidney health is important

Low potassium levels in healthy people might make it difficult for the kidneys to reabsorb calcium. Calcium levels in the blood are high.