What are the precautions for oral potassium supplementation?

In addition to taking potassium from food, you can also take potassium through oral liquids. There are some issues to pay attention to when taking potassium orally, such as how much potassium to take every day. If too much potassium is taken in every day, it will cause certain harm to the human body. There are many issues that need attention. What are the precautions for oral potassium supplementation? Let’s take a look at it next.

1. Oral potassium supplementation

The human body relies entirely on external intake of potassium. The daily intake of potassium from food is about 50-100mmol, and 90% is absorbed by the small intestine. The kidneys are the main organs for excreting potassium and regulating potassium balance. The potassium in the glomerular filtrate is first completely absorbed in the proximal renal tubules, and then the distal renal tubular cells and collecting duct cells secrete the excess potassium and excrete it in the urine, thus maintaining potassium balance in the body. However, when the human body does not take in enough potassium, the kidneys cannot significantly reduce potassium excretion, causing potassium to be retained in the body, which can easily cause potassium deficiency.

2. Precautions for potassium supplementation

Potassium supplementation should only be considered when the urine volume is above 30 ml/h, otherwise it may cause hyperkalemia. For patients with acidosis, hyperchloremia or liver damage, potassium glutamate can be considered. Each 6.3g vial contains 34mmol of potassium and can be added to 0.5L of glucose solution for intravenous drip. Too high a concentration of potassium chloride in an intravenous drip can irritate the veins and cause pain, or even venous spasm and thrombosis.

3. What to eat to supplement potassium

Cereals: whole grains, wheat sprouts.

Milk: all kinds of flavored milk.

Meat: Goose, sardines, poultry, fish and lean meat are also high in potassium.

Beans: red beans, mung beans, soybeans, black beans, broad beans.

Vegetables: Dark vegetables (especially high in red amaranth, green amaranth, and water spinach), as well as seaweed, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, kelp, potatoes, etc.

Fruits: Bananas, tomatoes, persimmons, apples, longans, cantaloupe, dates, oranges, and mangoes have the highest content. Citrus, apples, apricots, cantaloupe, cherries, papaya, and grapes also contain high levels of potassium.

Others: chocolate, cocoa, peanuts, Yakult, baked sweet potatoes, pumpkin, dried apricots, prunes, raisins, nuts, especially hazelnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and canned pickled products. Orange juice and unsalted soy sauce are also high in potassium.