Potassium - Supplementation and importance on bodily functions
Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2024 11:45 am
Hello everyone,
I would like to talk about the importance of potassium for our body and why I supplement my low oxalate diet with potassium. So, the big question is why potassium?
Potassium is the main intracellular ion for all types of cells, while having a major role in maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance. The body maintains a tight concentration gradient between sodium and potassium. The sustained concentration gradient is crucial for physiological processes in many organs and has an ongoing role in stabilizing the resting membrane potential of the cell, regulating the cell volume, and cell signal transduction. It plays a crucial role on other physiological processes, such as maintenance of filtering waste products in the nephrons (kidneys), sperm motility, and production of the neuronal action potential(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537088/).
It is widely regarded as a fact, that most people do not consume enough potassium, while at the same time consuming too much sodium (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9237821/).
This in combination with a low concentration of potassium in my blood test led me to supplement with potassium citrate. I can now say that I am mostly symptom free. I tried to remove the potassium supplementation and felt the following effects:
- More tired
- My muscles felt sorer.
- A bit more difficult to breathe.
- More urination
- Thirstier
- More sensitive to oxalate rich foods. (more RLS symptoms)
- Worse sleep (even with no RLS symptoms)
I tried this multiple times voluntary and also involuntary when my pills ran out. I could always make these same observations, that got worse the longer I did not consume additional potassium. Does anyone else have similar stories regarding potassium, or is this just a ‘me’ thing?
I’m trying to find the link between a low oxalate diet, potassium and RLS. I looked at how our nervous system works and the balance between potassium and sodium is important for the proper function of all nerves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_potential. Any additional resources for further reading is very welcome.
Please feel free to share your experience with potassium and RLS and have a nice day.
I would like to talk about the importance of potassium for our body and why I supplement my low oxalate diet with potassium. So, the big question is why potassium?
Potassium is the main intracellular ion for all types of cells, while having a major role in maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance. The body maintains a tight concentration gradient between sodium and potassium. The sustained concentration gradient is crucial for physiological processes in many organs and has an ongoing role in stabilizing the resting membrane potential of the cell, regulating the cell volume, and cell signal transduction. It plays a crucial role on other physiological processes, such as maintenance of filtering waste products in the nephrons (kidneys), sperm motility, and production of the neuronal action potential(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537088/).
It is widely regarded as a fact, that most people do not consume enough potassium, while at the same time consuming too much sodium (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9237821/).
This in combination with a low concentration of potassium in my blood test led me to supplement with potassium citrate. I can now say that I am mostly symptom free. I tried to remove the potassium supplementation and felt the following effects:
- More tired
- My muscles felt sorer.
- A bit more difficult to breathe.
- More urination
- Thirstier
- More sensitive to oxalate rich foods. (more RLS symptoms)
- Worse sleep (even with no RLS symptoms)
I tried this multiple times voluntary and also involuntary when my pills ran out. I could always make these same observations, that got worse the longer I did not consume additional potassium. Does anyone else have similar stories regarding potassium, or is this just a ‘me’ thing?
I’m trying to find the link between a low oxalate diet, potassium and RLS. I looked at how our nervous system works and the balance between potassium and sodium is important for the proper function of all nerves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_potential. Any additional resources for further reading is very welcome.
Please feel free to share your experience with potassium and RLS and have a nice day.