Potassium - how much per day?

[guest]

Hi.



Some bodybuilder said that 500mg per day are a maximum and should not be exceeded but he didn't give a reason.

Does anyone know why this is the case and how much potassium someone should take per day?

EDIT: Found sth. but I really don't get why 99mg are the upper limit. If I eat 5 medium sized potatoes I get 5g of potassium, which is 50 times the supplement concentration.

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/potassium/

Supplements

Multivitamin-mineral supplements in the U.S. do not contain more than 99 mg of potassium per serving. Higher doses of supplemental potassium are generally prescribed to prevent and treat potassium depletion and hypokalemia. The use of more potent potassium supplements in potassium deficiency requires close monitoring of serum potassium concentrations. Potassium supplements are available as a number of different salts, including potassium chloride, citrate, gluconate, bicarbonate, aspartate and orotate (29). Because of the potential for serious side effects the decision to use a potent potassium supplement should be made in collaboration with one's health care provider (see Safety).

 

[anne_likes_red]

I make a hydration drink* from artesian water, potassium chloride, sodium bicarbinate (aluminium free) and a little honey. This way I take 1/4 tsp potassium chloride daily - Now Foods from iherb - and the label says: 1/4 tsp = 730mg potassium = 21% Daily Value.
(So that doesn't mesh with what the bodybuilder says....maybe there's a reason...a bodybuilding, or cosmetic? reason not to exceed 500mg.)

HTH
Anne.
*helps with my OI (which is only mild at worst) and with migraine prevention - no migraines now for a very long time!

 

[Sallysblooms]

This thread has my attention. I have POTS , CFS and kidney stones. I keep making stones, I don't seem to pass any at all. They just grow!

Anyway, my Urologist has had me drinking two liters and more of water, still no help. I have a large stone now that needs lithotripsy. This will be my third! Not good to keep doing it.

He told me to take potassium pills twice a day. I take Benicar for high BP. I have read it isn't good to take potassium with it.

I also though you needed to be really careful with potassium and check you levels. My level is goo and I don't want to have too much.

I will call my CFS doc tomorrow about it, she knows more about supplements than the urologist.

 

[nanciswell]

Sally.. If you have kidney stones you can find out what kind they are.> If they are oxalate stones then you should be on a low oxalate diet .. There is a yahoo group devoted to this.. Trying low Oxalates.. I am pursuing this to help with chronic fatigue.. Since going on the supplements recommended in the protocal I am doing better with fatigue etc..

nanci

 

[Sallysblooms]

I do know what they are and I am not eating much oxalate. I have done so many things. Baking soda and lemon juice and vinegar also. Thanks.

Thankfully, my CFS is doing great. POTS is much better too! Supplements, low sugar, no gluten all have been great.

 

[Calathea]

I've read online that the recommended daily value for potassium is 3.5g, so I've been trying to get that. I'm using low-sodium salt mixed with a few other bits and bobs as an electrolyte drink. The 99mg thing is a bit of a blip last I heard.

 

[ahimsa]

I don't know what's "right" but I can share what amount I take. I take a time-released prescription potassium pill called Klor-Con (or some generic equivalent) once a day. Each pill contains 10 mEq of potassium which is about 750 mg of potassium chloride (this is from the rxlist.com web site - I didn't do the conversion myself!)

I understand that one should not take a lot of potassium without consulting a doctor. My doctor tests my electrolytes once a year (mostly because I'm on fludrocortisone).

I have no idea what dosage would be dangerous. I think it must depend on a lot of different factors. I did find this on webmd.com:

POTASSIUM Dosing

The following doses have been studied in scientific research:

BY MOUTH:

Potassium supplementation must be tailored for each person and based on the person's serum potassium level, which should be maintained between 3.5-5 mEq/L.

The normal adult daily requirement and usual dietary intake is 40-80 mEq daily.

* For preventing low levels of potassium: 20 mEq is typically taken daily.
* For treating low levels of potassium: the common dose of potassium is 40-100 mEq or more daily, in two to four divided amounts.
* For treating high levels of calcium: 1 mEq/kg is taken daily or four tablets of Urophos-K are taken twice a day.
* For high blood pressure: the typical dose is 48-90 mEq daily.
* For preventing stroke: dietary intake of approximately 75 mEq (about 3.5 grams of elemental potassium) daily may reduce risk.

Foods that contain at least 350 mg potassium can be labeled Diets containing foods that are good sources of potassium and low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.

 

[Carrigon]

When I take it, I take about the equivalent of eating a banana or so. I usually don't go over three hundred to four hundred mg. The reason not to get excessive with potassium is because too much potassium is deadly. It stops the heart. So you want to stay around the range of eating bananas or other natural things that contain it.