Potassium Supplements

About Potassium Supplements

Potassium is a mineral essential to our survival, just as so many vitamins, minerals and macronutrients are. Potassium is one of the key electrolytes playing a crucial role in regulating fluid movement within the body. Most people in developed nations tend to over-consume sodium and under-consume potassium, which increases the risk for many chronic diseases, including heart disease. It has been suggested that a 1:1 ratio of potassium to sodium, or perhaps even higher (more potassium than sodium) would be ideal to reduce the risk for several largely preventable chronic diseases. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported on this in 2012, as have many prestigious journals over many decades. 

Some of the signs and symptoms of potassium depletion are lethargy, physical weakness and sluggish bowels. However, these can of course be caused by a range of different factors. That is, if you have all three don't necessarily assume you are deficient in potassium. However, your dietary potassium intake is always worth taking a look at. The most important thing to do is start tracking your sodium and potassium intake. You will soon see how hard it is to take in more potassium than sodium. It can be quite a challenge! In order to achieve this, you might find that processed and packaged food intake has to decrease, while fresh produce needs to increase. After all, food salting was one of the first food preservation methods invented and is still heavily relied upon today.