Low Potassium Symptoms After 3 Months

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #81

I heard this is good. It’s on my list. Lol

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #82

If you think your potassium is too low SEE YOUR PHYSICIAN. over-supplementing is dangerous.

With proper amounts of sodium in your diet, potassium is automatically balanced WITHOUT supplementation.
I’m about this close holds fingers close together to taking the Lite Salt OUT of my KetoAide recipe for fear too many people think you must supplement potassium. YOU DO NOT. Matter of fact, it can and has been dangerous for those who over do it and eat a teaspoon of Lite Salt all at once and end up in the ER. If you are SO CONCERNED about your potassium levels, see your doctor. Have the doc prescribe supplemental potassium. Chances are the doc will NOT supplement it. Too much can be detrimental. bangs head on desk

Why is it in my recipe? Good question. A few years ago I felt it was necessary. Now I do not, though many swear by it. Likely it IS NOT the potassium that makes them feel great. More likely it is the very bio-available magnesium and the constant (although minuscule) amount of sodium in the KetoAide that is so effective,

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #83

IDM recommends 3000 to 7000 mg per day for low carb dieters and fasting. Read “The Salt Fix” by Dr. James DiNicolantonio

(Steve Gibson) #84

This sounds fantastic but is it true? How does Potassium Automatically balance out? Where are you getting this information? What is the mechanism for the automatic balance? Please explain or point me to the information source on this topic.

(Doug) #85

That’s a great way to say it, Brenda. Our kidneys normally have a very large range to operate in - they can excrete at full capacity if the body has an excess or is where it wants to be and is getting enough new potassium, OR - can conserve like crazy, recycling up to 90% if not much is coming in.

Steve, the kidneys are the major player for maintaining potassium homeostasis - there are various renal potassium channels and different parts of the kidney devoted to excreting potassium or recycling it and returning it to the body at need.

If working fairly decently, the kidneys can handle a big load of potassium, like eating 15 grams of it per day, for 20 days (there are potassium sensors in the digestive tract that let the kidneys know if a bunch is coming in - the kidneys can “open up the outflow gates”). They can also send most of it back to the body if we’re not eating much at all. One could be eating only ~1/10 the “recommended daily amount” and usually be okay.

IF there is a demonstrably low level of potassium, then it should certainly be addressed. But to supplement for other reasons is dicey.

Most of the body’s potassium is contained inside cells - it’s the major electrolytic cation there, while sodium is the major one in the spaces outside the cells (but still not in the bloodstream). Only about 2% of our potassium is in the blood, and if it’s not kept within a narrow range, we die. So a relatively small amount of potassium leaving the blood or entering it can cause big problems fast - we’re much more sensitive to this with potassium than we are with sodium, calcium, phosphorus or magnesium.

It’s pretty heavy going, as far as reading, but here’s some information about it:

https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/advan.00121.2016

(Steve Gibson) #87

Doug, WOW - thanks for the comprehensive and helpful response. (I even waded into the research document, uhm part way)

The important insight that you have helped me understand is the recycling aspect of potassium by the kidney. So we retain/recycle Potassium more than Sodium which is excreted and replaced. I would say that I now KNOW I was low on Sodium since I felt so much better now that I use more pink salt and even mix a table spoon in to a 16 oz glass of water twice per day. So I thought maybe I needed to balance out Potassium as well by adding nusalt or cream of tartar. Based on your note I believe that my kidneys will cover the balance by recycling more potassium when I increase my Sodium. Am I on the right track now? Is two teaspoons of Pink Salt a good amount if I am 170lbs and work out ever day or do a sport? (I think 2 tsp = 11grams = 3400mg of actual sodium)

(Adrian ) #88

Don’t think that’s useful, as the body tightly regulates that and you can have issues, even if your serum levels are in range.
It will pull out K from the bones and heart to maintain serum levels.

Also, I don’t understand why everyone suggests just upping the Sodium intake.
I read the the ideal ratio K:Na is 4:1. The more Sodium you eat, the more you throw off this ratio

I guess I’m frustrated I haven’t figured this out

#89

Yup, I am with you.
Unless I supplement potassium, I get cramps and assorted other symptoms.
My serum potassium has never been out of range, but serum potassium (which is all docs around here test for) is not a good indicator of what is going on in the bones and tissues.

I am happy to accept that I am ‘not typical’ but that doesn’t stop me being extremely uncomfortable when people announce that you don’t need to supplement with potassium.

My potassium intake via food (keto carnivore), as calculated by cronometer is vastly below the daily recommended amount. And not using supplements causes unpleasant symptoms which may have a long term knock on effect on my heart health. There are good reasons why for me, eating keto carnivore is the best option right now.

So I supplement. And I will not accept arguments to the contrary, unless someone knows my personal health history, test results, and symptoms.

(Edith) #90

I found I needed to add No Salt to my salt supplementation. For me it is 1/2 teaspoon of salt + 1/8 teaspoon No Salt three times a day plus whatever comes with my food. Before I started adding the No Salt, my resting pulse rate was going up.

#91

Is this true? I’ve been putting a pinch “no salt” in my Keto aid for months now. I also take Lisinopril BP meds which are potassium sparing.
Should I stop putting the pinch of “no salt” in my Keto aid?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #92

The point is that if you are getting enough salt in your diet, potassium, magnesium, and calcium are kept in balance as well, because the body’s regulatory mechanisms for these minerals all interlock. People on a well-formulated ketogenic diet and who get enough salt should be able to get enough magnesium, potassium, and calcium from their food without needing to supplement, in almost all cases. This means that the first remedy should be to optimise salt intake, exploring other solutions if that doesn’t work. (Though if you have a known medical reason to supplement, by all means do so.)

There were several studies published a few years ago that all indicated that the healthiest sodium intake is in the range of 4-6 g/day (that’s 4000-6000 mg/day), which translates to 10-15 g, or 2-3 U.S. teaspoons, a day of table salt (sodium chloride). We also know that on a low-insulin diet, such as a well-formulated ketogenic diet, the kidneys excrete sodium more readily (in other words, high insulin slows down the excretion of sodium, and lowering insulin allows the excretion rate to return to normal), so it is reasonable to assume that those of us eating keto can safely get a bit more sodium than 6 g/day (i.e., since the people investigated in those studies were almost certainly all carb-burners).

The symptoms of low sodium are those known as the “keto flu” (earlier called “Atkins flu”): lightheadedness, dizziness, headache, constipation. They are easily eliminated by increasing salt intake and drinking to thirst (avoid over- and under-hydration).

The reason Brenda is talking about cutting out potassium supplementation is that both hypo- and hyper-kalaemia (too little and too much potassium, respectively) are extremely dangerous and have been known to be fatal. That is why she strongly advises consulting your physician about whether you truly need to supplement or not.

#93

Thank you :pray: