How much potassium

According to health professionals, getting enough potassium can reduce your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Research suggests that consuming an optimal amount of this crucial mineral may protect against a host of ailments including cardiovascular disease, muscle wasting, osteoporosis, and kidney stones.

It can help to maintain healthy blood pressure and ensure proper nerve, kidney, and heart functions. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, most adults should consume 4, milligrams of potassium each day, but a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2 found that the average potassium intake for adults is around 1, milligrams.

According to the journal, fewer than 2 percent of US adults meet the daily requirement. That means that almost no one consumes the minimum amount of potassium recommended. To get there, the average adult would have to add up to eleven bananas to their daily food intake. A medium banana provides milligrams of potassium, whereas a serving of sweet potato 1 medium sweet potato delivers milligrams.

In general, beans and peas, nuts and seeds, leafy green vegetables like spinach, cabbage, and parsley, and fruits like bananas, cantaloupe, papayas, raisins, and dates are potassium-rich. Potassium is found in a wide range of nutritious foods, so you wouldn't think that getting enough of it would be challenging. It is possible to get all the potassium you need through dietary sources, but it takes considerable effort to know how much potassium each food contains and track the amounts.

Overall, the evidence suggests that consuming more potassium might have a favorable effect on blood pressure and stroke, and it might also help prevent other forms of CVD.

However, more research on both dietary and supplemental potassium is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn. Kidney stones Kidney stones are most common in people aged 40 to 60 [ 52 ]. Stones containing calcium—in the form of calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate—are the most common type of kidney stone. Low potassium intakes impair calcium reabsorption within the kidney, increasing urinary calcium excretion and potentially causing hypercalciuria and kidney stones [ 16 , 37 ].

Low urinary levels of citrate also contribute to kidney stone development. Observational studies show inverse associations between dietary potassium intakes and risk of kidney stones. Some research suggests that supplementation with potassium citrate reduces hypercalciuria as well as the risk of kidney stone formation and growth [ 52 , 55 ].

In a clinical trial of 57 patients with at least two kidney stones either calcium oxalate or calcium oxalate plus calcium phosphate over the previous 2 years and hypocitraturia low urinary citrate levels , supplementation with 30—60 mEq potassium citrate providing 1, to 2, mg potassium for 3 years significantly reduced kidney stone formation compared with placebo [ 55 ]. This study was included in a Cochrane review of seven studies that examined the effects of potassium citrate, potassium-sodium citrate, and potassium-magnesium citrate supplementation on the prevention and treatment of calcium-containing kidney stones in a total of participants, most of whom had calcium oxalate stones [ 52 ].

The potassium citrate salts significantly reduced the risk of new stones and reduced stone size. However, the proposed mechanism involves citrate, not potassium per se; citrate forms complexes with urinary calcium and increases urine pH, inhibiting the formation of calcium oxalate crystals [ 52 , 56 ].

The authors of the AHRQ review [ 48 ] concluded that observational studies suggest an association between higher potassium intakes and lower risk of kidney stones. However, they also found the evidence insufficient to determine whether potassium supplements are effective because only one trial that addressed this question [ 55 ] met their inclusion criteria.

Additional research is needed to fully understand the potential link between dietary and supplemental potassium and the risk of kidney stones. Bone health Observational studies suggest that increased consumption of potassium from fruits and vegetables is associated with increased bone mineral density [ 57 ].

This evidence, combined with evidence from metabolic studies and a few clinical trials, suggests that dietary potassium may improve bone health. The underlying mechanisms are unclear, but one hypothesis is that potassium helps protect bone through its effect on acid-base balance [ 37 ]. Diets that are high in acid-forming foods, such as meats and cereal grains, contribute to metabolic acidosis and might have an adverse effect on bone.

Alkaline components in the form of potassium salts potassium bicarbonate or citrate, but not potassium chloride from food or potassium supplements might counter this effect and help preserve bone tissue. In the Framingham Heart Study for example, higher potassium intake was associated with significantly greater bone mineral density in elderly men and women [ 58 ].

In another study, the DASH eating pattern significantly reduced biochemical markers of bone turnover [ 59 ]. This eating pattern has a lower acid load than typical Western diets and is also high in calcium and magnesium, in addition to potassium, so any independent contribution of potassium cannot be determined. Only a few clinical trials have examined the effects of potassium supplements on markers of bone health. Potassium supplementation significantly increased bone mineral density at the lumbar spine and bone microarchitecture compared with placebo.

Conversely, a clinical trial in postmenopausal women aged 55—65 years found that supplementation with potassium citrate at either Overall, higher intakes of potassium from diets that emphasize fruits and vegetables might improve bone health.

Although obesity is the primary risk factor for type 2 diabetes, other metabolic factors also play a role. Because potassium is needed for insulin secretion from pancreatic cells, hypokalemia impairs insulin secretion and could lead to glucose intolerance [ 2 ]. This effect has been observed mainly with long-term use of diuretics particularly those containing thiazides or hyperaldosteronism excessive aldosterone production , which both increase urinary potassium losses, but it can occur in healthy individuals as well [ 2 , 10 , 16 , 65 ].

Numerous observational studies of adults have found associations between lower potassium intakes or lower serum or urinary potassium levels and increased rates of fasting glucose, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes [ ]. These associations might be stronger in African Americans, who tend to have lower potassium intakes, than in whites [ 68 , 71 ].

For example, one study of 1, adults aged 18—30 years without diabetes found that those with urinary potassium levels in the lowest quintile were more than twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes over 15 years of follow-up than those in the highest quintile [ 68 ]. Among 4, participants from the same study with potassium intake data, African Americans with lower potassium intakes had a significantly greater risk of type 2 diabetes over 20 years of follow-up than those with higher intakes, but this association was not found in whites.

Serum potassium levels were inversely associated with fasting glucose levels in 5, participants aged 45—84 years from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, but these levels had no significant association with diabetes risk over 8 years of follow-up [ 70 ]. Although observational studies suggest that potassium status is linked to blood glucose control and type 2 diabetes, this association has not been adequately evaluated in clinical trials.

In a small clinical trial in 29 African American adults with prediabetes and low to normal serum potassium levels 3. The findings from studies conducted to date are promising. Dietary potassium In healthy people with normal kidney function, high dietary potassium intakes do not pose a health risk because the kidneys eliminate excess amounts in the urine [ 1 ].

Although case reports indicate that very large doses of potassium supplements can cause heart abnormalities and death, the NASEM committee concluded that these reports do not provide sufficient evidence to set a UL [ 11 ]. In addition, there is no evidence that high intakes of potassium cause hyperkalemia in adults with normal kidney function or other adverse effects. Therefore, the committee did not set a UL for potassium. However, in people with impaired urinary potassium excretion due to chronic kidney disease or the use of certain medications, such as angiotensin converting enzyme ACE inhibitors or potassium-sparing diuretics, even dietary potassium intakes below the AI can cause hyperkalemia [ 11 ].

Hyperkalemia can also occur in people with type 1 diabetes, congestive heart failure, adrenal insufficiency, or liver disease [ 7 ]. Individuals at risk of hyperkalemia should consult a physician or registered dietitian about appropriate potassium intakes from all sources.

Information on low-potassium diets is also available from the National Kidney Disease Education Program. Although hyperkalemia can be asymptomatic, severe cases can cause muscle weakness, paralysis, heart palpitations, paresthesias a burning or prickling sensation in the extremities , and cardiac arrhythmias that could be life threatening [ 1 , 7 ].

Potassium from dietary supplements, salt substitutes, and medications Potassium supplements can cause minor gastrointestinal side effects [ 48 ]. Chronic ingestion of doses of potassium supplements e. The use of potassium salts in certain medications has been associated with small-bowel lesions, causing obstruction, hemorrhage, and perforation [ 20 , 74 ]. For this reason, the FDA requires some oral drugs providing more than 99 mg of potassium to be labeled with a warning.

Several types of medications have the potential to affect potassium status in ways that could be dangerous. A few examples are provided below. People taking these and other medications should discuss their potassium intakes and status with their healthcare providers.

These medications reduce urinary potassium excretion, which can lead to hyperkalemia. Experts recommend monitoring potassium status in people taking ACE inhibitors or ARBs, especially if they have other risk factors for hyperkalemia, such as impaired kidney function [ 75 ].

Experts recommend monitoring potassium status in people taking these medications, especially if they have impaired kidney function or other risk factors for hyperkalemia [ 78 ].

Experts recommend monitoring potassium status in people taking these medications, and initiating potassium supplementation if warranted [ 77 ]. The federal government's — Dietary Guidelines for Americans notes that "Because foods provide an array of nutrients and other components that have benefits for health, nutritional needs should be met primarily through foods.

In some cases, fortified foods and dietary supplements are useful when it is not possible otherwise to meet needs for one or more nutrients e. For more information about building a healthy dietary pattern, refer to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the U. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate. This fact sheet by the Office of Dietary Supplements ODS provides information that should not take the place of medical advice.

We encourage you to talk to your healthcare providers doctor, registered dietitian, pharmacist, etc. Any mention in this publication of a specific product or service, or recommendation from an organization or professional society, does not represent an endorsement by ODS of that product, service, or expert advice. Updated: March 26, History of changes to this fact sheet.

Find ODS on:. Strengthening Knowledge and Understanding of Dietary Supplements. Health Information Health Information. Potassium Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. References Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC; Potassium intake, bioavailability, hypertension, and glucose control. Nutrients ;8.

Sodium, chloride, and potassium. Present Knowledge in Nutrition. Washington, DC: Wiley-Blackwell; Hinderling PH. The pharmacokinetics of potassium in humans is unusual. J Clin Pharmacol ; Water, electrolytes, and acid-based metabolism. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. Levene DL.

Potassium chloride: absorption and excretion. Can Med Assoc J ; Potassium disorders: Hypokalemia and hyperkalemia. Am Fam Physician ; N Engl J Med ; Assessment of body potassium stores. Kidney Int ; Potassium and risk of Type 2 diabetes. Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab ; Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central , Nutrients ; Beneficial effects of potassium on human health. Physiol Plant ; Food and Drug Administration. Federal Register 81 National Institutes of Health. This is a great question that comes up all the time—and with good reason, because potassium can be tricky.

The short answer is no, you should not take potassium supplements unless your doctor prescribes them. Let me outline why below. To start with, you're much better off getting potassium from foods instead of potassium supplements. Many fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium, including spinach, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, bananas, and avocado.

Potassium-rich diets help control blood pressure and have been linked to a lower risk of stroke. But such diets also tend to be lower in sodium and contain other healthful nutrients, which may contribute to the observed blood pressure benefit. Here's where it gets a little confusing. Many blood pressure medications—especially the commonly prescribed class known as diuretics—can affect your potassium level. But while some diuretics tend to lower potassium levels, others have the opposite effect.

So can common painkillers such as ibuprofen Advil, Motrin or naproxen Aleve. Keeping your blood potassium level in the correct range is important, because this mineral also plays a key role in the function of nerves and muscles, including heart muscle. Your kidneys help regulate potassium levels in your blood. But age, diabetes, heart failure, and certain other conditions may impair kidney function. As a result, potassium levels can rise to high levels, leading to dangerous heart rhythm problems and even cardiac arrest.

Because of this potential danger, the FDA limits over-the-counter potassium supplements including multivitamin-mineral pills to less than milligrams mg. You'd have to take lots of potassium supplements to get close to that amount—another reason to get the nutrient from your diet.

However, grocery stores carry salt substitutes that may contain much higher amounts of potassium. People trying to curb their sodium intake may try these products.