Definition of Potassium balance

Potassium balance: The balance between too much potassium and, far more often today, too little potassium. Adults should consume at least 4.7 grams of potassium per day to lower blood pressure, blunt the effects of salt, and reduce the risk of kidney stones and bone loss, according to a report in 2004 by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. However, most American women 31 to 50 years old consume no more than half of the recommended amount of potassium, and men's intake is only moderately higher.

The Institute of Medicine found no evidence of chronic excess intakes of potassium in apparently health individuals and therefore established no upper limit (UL) for potassium. As the report noted, humans evolved from ancestors who habitually consumed large amounts of uncultivated plant foods, which provided substantial amounts of potassium. In this setting, the human kidney developed a highly efficient capacity to excrete excess potassium.

To achieve a healthy balance of potassium, ample amounts of fresh fruits and fresh vegetables are recommended. Among the foods that are richest in potassium (in descending order by caloric value) are:

• leafy greens like spinach, romaine and cabbage;
• vine-grown foods like tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, winter squash and pumpkin;
• root vegetables like carrots, radishes, turnips and onions;
• dried peas and beans, and green beans;
• fruits like apples, oranges, bananas, apricots and strawberries;
• tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes; and
• milk and yogurt.

Lesser amounts of potassium are present in meats, nuts, eggs, cereals and cheese. Potassium levels in the blood that are abnormally low constitute what is called hypokalemia whereas abnormally high levels (which can and do occur on occasion) constitute what is termed hyperkalemia. For further information, see: Hypokalemia and Hyperkalemia.

Common Misspellings: potasium balance