Low Potassium?

(Alan Williamson) #1

Dr. Eric Berg states in this video a person needs 4700mg of potassium a day. He suggests eating 2 big salads a day. Looking at the symptoms of low potassium it seems like getting enough potassium would be really important along the lines of getting enough salt. Can a person supplement with powder?

(TJ Borden) #2

I know Lite Salt has potassium, but I haven’t been using it much because I’m worried about taking too much. I think it was @Brenda that mentioned it can be dangerous to over do it. I need to read up on it more, before keto I didn’t even know potassium was a salt, so I’m definitely weak on knowledge in that arena.

(Karen) #3

Be very cautious with potassium. Over and under dosing are problematic. Try and get yours from foods.

K

(L. Amber O'Hearn) #4

Has anyone here experienced hyperkalemia from supplementing? I’ve seen @brenda warn against it in the fasting context as well. Are there reports of problems with too much potassium in keto dieters with or without fasting? I’m really curious about this, because it seems like with the common recommendation to use potassium during keto-adaptation, or symptomatically for leg cramps, many people will have taken high doses, but I’ve never heard reports about it.

(TJ Borden) #5

As I was pondering this earlier I was thinking of what you mentioned when you were talking to @Daisy, about so many daily recommendations being based on what’s needed when following a SAD. I’d be really curious to see what affect keto/carnivore/fasting has on those requirements.

(Candy Lind) #6

“The Salt Fix” edpisode of 2KD podcast addresses how salt regulates potassium. That’s part of how you can get too much potassium, as salt allows storage of potassium in the cells for when it’s needed.

(TJ Borden) #7

I should probably listen to that episode again… actually, it probably wouldn’t hurt to start over and listen from the beginning again. I’m sure I’d absorb a lot more the second time through.

(Candy Lind) #8

She warned me off of using too much lite salt while fasting, and I actually use much less lite salt & more pink salt now (and feel MUCH better). I think I was getting too much K between diet & supplementation.

(L. Amber O'Hearn) #9

Wikipedia says that excess potassium is normally excreted. That is, hyperkalemia isn’t normally caused by taking too much. But it also says this that this excretion involves increased aldosterone. That’s Interesting, because that’s exactly what Phinney says about insufficient sodium. So, is it a sodium/potassium balance issue, the main problem of which would be symptoms of an adrenal nature? Curiouser.

(Bunny) #10
  1. Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone-Axis (RAAS): mediates the volume of extracellular fluid (blood plasma, lymph and interstitial fluid), and arterial vasoconstriction. Thus, it regulates the body’s mean arterial blood pressure. …More
  1. Ibid. Eat for Heat: The Metabolic Approach to Food and Drink by Matt Stone ”…The net sum of the food and beverages we consume can either concentrate or dilute our body fluids. …More
  1. ibid. 12 Reasons Why Salt is GOOD for you! “…Salt lowers adrenaline spikes. Adrenaline is a necessary and important stress hormone, but it is just that… a stress hormone. When adrenaline patterns are out of rhythm, it takes a toll on the body? …More
  1. Salt Boosts Blood Pressure, but via Adrenalin - SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
  1. Excess salt stimulates production of adrenalin and causes hypertension A review article by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) debunks the widely-believed concept that hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the result of excess salt causing an increased blood volume, exerting extra pressure on the arteries. Published online in the Journal of Hypertension, the study demonstrates that excess salt stimulates the sympathetic nervous system to produce adrenalin, causing artery constriction and hypertension. The research was led by Irene Gavras, MD, and Haralambos Gavras, MD, both professors of medicine at BUSM. “The purpose of this paper is to correct an erroneous concept that has prevailed for many years, even though scientific evidence has mounted against it,” said Irene Gavras, who is also a physician in Boston Medical Center’s Hypertension practice. …More …Also
    “…This study is saying that salt doesn’t increase blood pressure due to increased blood volume, but actually by increasing adrenaline which constricts capillaries. This doesn’t make sense to me. This is the only study I could find on the internet saying this, which is strange. I would imagine there would be some follow up studies if this was really true. …More
  1. Salt: The Prize Jewel Of Keto
    “…we need approximately 2 teaspoons a day. This can come in some of the foods we eat, like cheese and salted butter etc, but it is also important to use salt as a seasoning. Use unprocessed rock salt if you can afford it- like Himalayan Pink salt or Celtic Grey salt- or Iodised table salt if you’re on a budget. Rock Salt is the best option but budgets sometimes win. It is important to understand that in the United States the FDA has approved Potassium Iodide as the only allowable Potassium additive to Salt. Potassium Iodide evaporates without a stabiliser, which is why maltodextrin is added. The Maltodextrin added is in an amount so small that it is unlikely to cause cravings. It is one of those situations where the USFDA has tied the hands of those of us on a budget. In Canada, Europe and Australia, Potassium Iodate is used, and a stabiliser is not needed, so Iodised Table salt in these places does not have Maltodextrin added. For more information see www.saltinstitute.org If you don’t add adequate amounts of salt: you won’t poop, you’ll have the shakes, you’ll have heart palpitations, you’ll get headaches, your brain won’t function, you won’t uptake potassium, magnesium and other vitamins and minerals. Salt is one of those minerals about which we have been fed one thing and told something else, without being given the information we really needed.
    Fall in love with salt, it could save your life. …More
  1. Types of Salt: Himalayan vs Kosher vs Regular vs Sea Salt Himalayan salt often contains trace amounts of iron oxide (rust), which gives it a pink color. It does contain small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. It also contains slightly lower amounts of sodium than regular salt. …More
  1. 9 Different Kinds of Salt: Which Is the Healthiest?
  1. Sodium-to-Potassium Ratio and Blood Pressure, Hypertension, and Related Factors
  1. To Protect Your Heart, Your Sodium to Potassium Ratio Is More Important Than Your Overall Salt Intake
  1. Cardiovascular benefits associated with higher dietary K+ vs. lower dietary Na+: evidence from population and mechanistic studies Together, the findings suggest that public health efforts directed toward increasing consumption of K±rich natural foods would reduce BP and, thus, cardiovascular and kidney disease. Definitions: Na±rich processed foods than in isolated societies consuming K±rich natural foods.
(Luis Zeledon) #11

I go to the gym six days a week not for weight loss just because I love it. Average time is two hours 30 minutes of that is in the sauna. Had some issues with cramping when I started keto and started taking potassium And magnesium powder in my water. Now that I am reading all of this I am worried that I may be overdoing it how do you know when it’s too much?

#12

Just started doing this the other day!

#13

This is the stuff that causes me to worry since Im new to keto and Im trying to find the balance between getting my electrolytes in but not overdoing it.

Seems like everyone says something different! I make the Ketoaid linked on this site but so many people seem to be so against the Lite Salt. Its recommended that you get 3,500–4,700 mg a day of Potassium and the Ketoaid contains 350mg. Even if you drank two Ketoaids a day thats nowhere near the amount you should get. And the amount of greens you need to eat to hit the daily recommended numbers seems to be unreasonable especially when youre also trying to work in your fat and proteins.

Ive been drinking two Ketoaids a day, i get some greens in my diet but I still notice twitching in my foot so I cant imagine im overdosing on Potassium with my routine.

#14

You’ll be surprised how much potassium you get from food. Track closely for a couple days. Greens are not the only source.

#15

Indeed! But drinking 700mg of potassium a day cant be the line between overdosing and not overdosing.

I listened to The Salt Fix episode of the podcast mentioned earlier, and I might even add MORE salt to my Ketoaid.

1/4 tsp of the Salt Lite
1/4 tsp of regular salt just to up the sodium more.

#16

if your potassium is low, your doctor will give you an rx for it. i would not try to supplement with anything over 99mg over the counter and only on occasion (after feeling a cramp at night). your body stores potassium so it can be easy to overdose. I don’t eat a diet high in potassium but I’m getting it somehow and maintain a normal level.

#17

If you have a container of lite salt, look on the label. There are no warnings at all. None. If it was that dangerous, we wouldn’t have been able to buy it in the grocery store all these years.

#18

Thats why Im so confused.

Some people say you just pee out the extra, or you hold onto more with the more salt you intake. I dont really know what info to follow.

(Doug) #19

I agree, Bojana. The vast majority (~90%) of potassium is stored inside cellular membranes (rather than outside them - with about 10% in intracellular fluid and almost none in our blood).

http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/nephrology/hypokalemia-and-hyperkalemia/

A quote from that page: “Ingested K+ is absorbed rapidly and enters the portal circulation, where it stimulates insulin secretion.”

:neutral_face:

Certainly sounds like many of us don’t need extra potassium.

@alanwil2 - Alan, have you had a blood test for potassium levels, and/or symptoms of deficiency?

#20

Ive watched some of Dr Bergs videos and he raves about potassium. He even made his own electrolyte supplement powder with 1000mg of K per serving if I remember correctly. I dont know how legit he is as a resource and Im sure its just another product to make some money, but how is that legal if its so dangerous?