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Comment by aantix | Hacker News Reader

What's your potassium level?

Potassium relaxes the walls of the blood vessels. It's a counterbalance to sodium.

Doctors will say 3.5 is fine, but there are several studies demonstrating that as you approach 4.5, the risk of cardiac events drop.

Doctors get very tense about potassium supplementation in fear of hyperkalemia.

But the RDA for potassium use to be ~4200mg. I'm guessing most don't remotely approach the new or old RDA.

If you're taking potassium sparing medications, things are further complicated. K levels would have to be checked more often.

I supplement with potassium citrate. My blood pressure has normalized.

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4.5 mmol/L. Coincidentally just got a blood test six days ago (this is in Canada and Lifelabs lets you see your own results). I don't go out of my way to consume potassium at this point, but my potassium has been 4.5 steady for all the tests I've gotten over the past year. My sodium has been rock solid at 139 mmol/L as well.

I didn't add it as one of my listed items, but I did try supplementing with potassium before starting with medication and for me it wasn't beneficial, though it certainly would be for people with deficiencies.

Hyperaldosteronism.

If someone has a consistently low potassium level, you should see an endocrinologist and get tested for Hyperaldosteronism.

Surplus aldosterone causes the body to retain more salt, which in turn increase blood pressure.

Consistently low potassium, early onset of hypertension, taking three or more BP medications (one of which is a diuretic), all red flags.

Hyperaldosteronism should be pursued.

I had my left adrenal gland taken out to address it.

Potassium and sodium are also excreted together, so decreasing sodium/increasing potassium typically results in beneficial impacts on the other.

> Doctors get very tense about potassium supplementation in fear of hyperkalemia.

Supplementing with potassium is not recommended because it's not very effective. 99 mg of potassium citrate gives you only 38 grams of potassium- *you need ~100 pills to get your daily value!* You will see much better results from changing your diet to include more potato (note: 1/4 of the potassium is in the skin), beans, and spinach (although a lot of spinach- 10oz has as much as a large potato). One large potato can give you 900 mg of potassium.

>not recommended because it's not very effective

My guess is that it's effective for those that are chronically K deficient, through Hyperaldosteronism or some other condition.

That would still be four large potatoes a day, to hit the original RDA. Every day.

I buy it in powder form to get the high levels needed. https://www.bulksupplements.com/products/potassium-citrate-p...

Agree, the dosing on tablets are ridiculously low.

Eating several large potatoes, bananas, avocados every single day sounds miserable.

Beans are not recommended if your goal is normalising electrolytes and micro-nutrients. Phytic acid in beans messes with your micronutrient absorption, in other words you absorb fewer than if you abstained from beans (or any other vegetable high in phytates). Quite counterproductive if you're trying to figure out the correct dosage of supplements.

Same with nuts and other seeds. Fine, in moderation. Phytic acid literally is a chemical countermeasure to stop animals from eating the next generation of a plant.

Oxalic acid, abundant in spinach, is another fun one.

Soaking the beans and discarding that water before cooking them greatly reduces the phytic acid. Beans are excellent for health. You just have to follow the traditional methods of prepping them.

Look out for kidney stones with spinach, and other foods that are high in oxalates.

I've had multiple lithotripsy procedures, thanks to kidney stones.

I wouldn't wish kidney stones on my worst enemy.

GP mentioned taking Telmisartan, which is potassium sparing and one should be careful with potassium supplementation while taking it.

Agree. That's why I noted

>If you're taking potassium sparing medications, things are further complicated. K levels would have to be checked more often.

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