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cerylidae1552 t1_j5hz0s6 wrote

Reply to comment by climb-high in Diets with low potassium are associated with kidney injuries and a culprit in cardiovascular disease by giuliomagnifico

There is literally no reason you can’t supplement if your diet doesn’t contain enough. An easier way to supplement than a pill, however, is by using NoSalt or LiteSalt on your food, or in water.

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jtc66 t1_j5ijixn wrote

Potassium is definitely one to consult with a doctor about. Hyperkalemia can lead to abnormal heart rhythms taking you to the ED. Better to decide on a dose with your doctor to do it safely.

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TNoStone t1_j5iwmpq wrote

Webmd - “Do not take potassium supplements without talking to you doctor” link

Health.Harvard.edu - “you should not take potassium supplements unless your doctor prescribes them … To start with, you're much better off getting potassium from foods instead of potassium supplements… 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.” link

I wasted part of my lunch break to counter your misinformation doing research you should have done before making a potentially harmful comment like that. I’ll send you an invoice.

Also potassium salts can be even potentially worse. “The potassium content of Nu-Salt® is 656 milligrams per 1/4 tsp.” - nusalt website, reddit doesn’t like the link find source yourself.

“Because of this [previously mentioned harvard sourced] potential danger, the FDA limits over-the-counter potassium supplements (including multivitamin-mineral pills) to less than 100 milligrams (mg). That's just 2% of the 4,700 mg recommended dietary intake for potassium. 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. A mere one-quarter teaspoon of one brand contains about 800 mg of potassium. If you take a potassium-sparing diuretic, such as spironolactone, you should avoid salt substitutes and limit high-potassium foods.” health.harvard.edu link

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reboot_my_life t1_j5j8skp wrote

The reason potassium supplements are limited in pill form is because they will burn a hole in your gut. You can buy a humongous jar of potassium chloride powder and the recommended serving size can be much higher, mine is 365mg. The aforementioned Lite Salt really is the best idea though because it has the right balance of sodium and potassium to prevent high potassium syndromes if you have healthy kidneys.

Obviously you should talk to your doctor before any dietary change or supplement regime and your yearly physical should include a kidney screen like egfr, and your total potassium intake shouldn't exceed 4000mg or so (unless you have some unique scenario that a doctor has advised). This means that if you supplement potassium significantly, you have to have a tightly controlled diet since food have highly various amounts of potassium.

Personally I would be passing out if I didn't have my 2tsp of lite salt (which is 2800mg of potassium) per day. I'm on a highly restricted medically supervised diet though.

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neglectedselenium t1_j5k519o wrote

They will most certainly not burn a hole, but they would strongly irritate the stomach in some people

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