Sodium, potassium levels are in normal range. Potential magnesium deficiency?

#1

Hi!

I’m on a low-carb diet for close to 2 months now. I have been having heart palpitations very often now. I went to the ER, they did ECG, chest x-ray and blood work. Everything turned out normal. For electrolytes they checked only potassium, sodium and chlorine. They didn’t check for magnesium levels. My potassium level is 3.4 [normal range: 3.3-4.5], sodium is 140 [normal range: 137-145] and chlorine is good too. My heart palpitations haven’t gone away, though they have reduced in severity since I started upping my carb intake 8 days ago but they still happen all the time though. Is it possible that my potassium level is too towards the low end of the normal range and this is what is giving me the palpitations. Also, like said above, they didn’t check my magnesium level. Should I go and have my magnesium levels checked as well? How likely is it I would have a magnesium deficiency given my potassium level is so close to the low end normal range? Also, I’m diabetic and I read that 77% of diabetic patients have magnesium deficiency. I did clearly state at the ER that I was doing low-carb so they should check for all my electrolytes level. Once after I got sent back home, I realised they didn’t check magnesium levels.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #2

Most people could use magnesium, it’s hard to get just from dietary intake alone because farm and pasture lands are generally depleted. You can get magnesium cheap, @CarlKeller mentioned magnesium citrate pills costing him 3 cents. Hopefully he’ll us tell more about that. I have been using magnesium glycinate but paying a fair amount more than that and want to try it.

(Carl Keller) #3

I noticed my HR was about 10 beats faster per minute. I had a really amped up feeling that reminded me of drinking a quadruple espresso or back when I was about to step into the batter’s box in a baseball game. It wasn’t really an unpleasant feeling, but it didn’t feel normal to feel like that all day long. I also noticed a few palpitations one night and that’s what finally convinced me to try a supplement. A few days later I was back to a normal HR and I couldn’t feel my heart beating through my chest like before.

What changed after five months of keto was I wasn’t eating leafy greens like I was. Instead of 3-4 times per week, it was more like 1 or 2 and I think I wasn’t getting enough magnesium.

#4

Thank you! I’ll surely get a magnesium supplement. How much were you taking per day, like how many mg? Also my potassium level is low end normal, would you suggest to me to take potassium supplement as well?

(Full Metal KETO AF) #5

I have been taking 400mg per evening, but I have been tracking my foods lately and I like the nutritional analysis part of Cronometer. I can see where I fall short and I am over everyday now. But I need to work on potassium and calcium. :cowboy_hat_face:

(Carl Keller) #6

I’ve been taking 250 mg of Nature Made Magnesium Citrate. I try to remember to take it daily but I usually end up taking it every other day. :stuck_out_tongue:

Potassium deficiency is rare and you can probably get all you need from food if you are eating a good variety. I’m not saying you will get 100% of the RDA but if you can get 50% you are getting way more than the typical person and how often do you hear someone say they have hypokalemia?

I will say that some people do supplement potassium and I won’t discredit their advice for doing so… but our species and relatives have thrived for eons without taking supplements and I believe we are always better off if we can get our nutrients and minerals from real food.

#7

Thanks!

(Khara) #8

Another option is the keto-aid recipe on this forum. It’s just what I tried first and works for me and so I’ve stuck with it. It supplements magnesium, potassium, and salt.

For people who choose to go a different route, like taking only a magnesium pill, I’m not sure if they are specifically avoiding keto-aide for some reason or if like me they just stuck with what they tried and had good results with. @CarlKeller ?

Additionally, if you take baths, adding magnesium chloride flakes to the bath water will give you a supplement. Note, this is different from Epsom salts; apparently magnesium chloride is more readily absorbed by the skin.

(Carl Keller) #9

I’m not convinced that we need to supplement potassium but I am convinced that eating foods high in potassium is good for us. I was getting very little potassium when I was eating the SAD and I literally get three times as much now. Potassium deficiency is rare and I personally feel like our need for potassium is over-hyped.

The US says 4700 mg per day and fewer than 2% of adults meet this minimum. To get 4700 mg you would have to eat about a dozen bananas, yet I’ve not met a single person who ever said they were potassium deficient.

#10

When I started the LCHF diet 8 weeks ago, I was eating a lot of potassium-rich foods (like 3-4 avocados per day, dark chocolate, a lot of spinach, green leafy veg, nuts). I was calculating my daily intake and it was hovering around 4700-5000 mg. I was shocked some days ago when during my blood test, my potassium levels turned out to be 3.4, just at the lower end range (still normal, but I consider that to be a deficiency for me due to my previous levels and current dietary habits). I heard that uncontrolled diabetes does lead to a fall in potassium levels. But, at the time I was diagnosed with diabetes (end of January), my potassium levels were very normal, around 4.0. But, after diagnosis, my diabetes was controlled perfectly, like by mid-February, my postprandial glucose average would be around 5.9, sometimes even 5.4. My fasting glucose too began to be in the 4.5-4.9 range. So, I was pretty surprised to see how my potassium level fell so much - despite adopting a more potassium-rich diet and managing my diabetes perfectly, which is why it always puzzles me as to how only 2% of American adults meet the daily potassium requirement and yet the vast majority don’t have a deficiency.

(Carl Keller) #11

Maybe the amount of potassium in our blood is driven by demand? When we are eating poorly, the need for potassium is higher. When we eat better, that need is less?

I find it remarkable that Dr. Stefansson and his colleague lived among the Inuits for a year and only ate fat (80-85%) and protein(10-15%). After a solid year of this, they showed no signs of scurvy or deficiencies.

This article talks about the causes of hypokalemia. In summary, it’s usually a symptom of another cause and deficiency from diet is quite rare. There is no explanation for why it is rare but I will stick with my theory that potassium is over-hyped and our bodies are very good at squirreling it away in our cells for when we really need it.

Lastly, it was the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition who said that only 2% of US adults meet the RDA requirements for potassium:

(Adrian ) #12

Wow, this sounds painfully close to my symptoms (https://www.ketogenicforums.com/t/serum-electrolytes-levels-on-a-ketogenic-diet/85883/2).
Did you solve your issues by any chance by taking Mg?

(Carl Keller) #13

I started taking magnesium citrate after I noticed my heart rate was higher than normal and I could literally hear my heart beating in my chest. It was making me feel anxious, like I had drunk too much coffee. Within a few days it seemed to normalize and I shaved about 10-12 beats per minute off my HR.