How come I can never find potassium supplements at the store, and most multi-vitamins only have about 3% of the daily recommended dose? Is it that hard to come by?

Potassium salts are drugs [FDA approved], and if taken without the supervision of a physician, can lead to potentially fatal heart rhythm disturbances.

Have an off the shelf bottle in my vitamin basket as I type. Can find it anywhere you buy vitamins here in Florida.

One should be very careful when taking potassium as stated above.

Have a banana...

Didn't we just beat this topic to death?

There are a lot of foods better for simple potassium based on 100g servings. Try here:

http://www.nutritiondata.com/foods-000122000000000000000-3w.html

Go to the salt aisle in the grocery store and get nosalt brand salt replacer.

Didn't we just beat this topic to death?

There are a lot of foods better for simple potassium based on 100g servings. Try here:

http://www.nutritiondata.com/foods-000122000000000000000-3w.html

So it looks like we get enough potassium in our diet to require supplements?

How come I can never find potassium supplements at the store, and most multi-vitamins only have about 3% of the daily recommended dose? Is it that hard to come by?I don't know, they are all over. But you may want to ask yourself, WHY you think you need Potassium supplementation. And if in fact you did, there's no way you can monitor the effectiveness of supplements without repeated blood tests.

What I want to know, why are so many people so ignorant in areas of health and nutrition? How old are you? And what is the highest level of education of you and your parents?

I don't know, they are all over. But you may want to ask yourself, WHY you think you need Potassium supplementation. And if in fact you did, there's no way you can monitor the effectiveness of supplements without repeated blood tests.

What I want to know, why are so many people so ignorant in areas of health and nutrition? How old are you? And what is the highest level of education of you and your parents?

I never finished colledge. *weeps*

You can get potassium tablets at most Walmarts for a couple bucks.

Why do you feel you need potassium? Are you getting involuntary muscle cramps in your legs at night regularly? If not you probably are getting enough potassium. Don't worry about the recommended dose, I wouldn't trust the FDA to recommend anything....

Don't waste your money on potassium supplements. The amount is regulated and kept deliberately low - because too much potassium can make your heart stop. Get it from food... nobody needs more than they get in a normal diet unless they have some kind of medical condition.

OTC Potassium replacement tablets are generally 100mg. This is typically 1/8th of the amount required if you are on diuretics. A large banana has around 500- almost 600 mg of potassium. I use 2 or 3 x 100mg tablets in the summertime only.

*potassium is a different salt than sodium. There are much more dangerous supplement out there that is not natural to your body.

OTC Potassium replacement tablets are generally 100mg. This is typically 1/8th of the amount required if you are on diuretics. A large banana has around 500- almost 600 mg of potassium. I use 2 or 3 x 100mg tablets in the summertime only.+1

Do you lose potassium while you sweat, and if you do, shouldn't you replace it?

Do you lose potassium while you sweat, and if you do, shouldn't you replace it?

Yes...it is a constituent of sweat. And if you're doing an endurance event, I think you should supplement.

Some sport drinks contain potassium...especially ones marketed for endurance. Most, however, don't contain nearly as much as you sweat out.

Do you lose potassium while you sweat, and if you do, shouldn't you replace it?While you do lose some potassium through sweating, it along with magnesium are lost at much, much lower amounts than sodium. That's because potassium & magnesium are found primarily inside the muscle cell-walls while sodium is outside in the blood. You end up losing sodium at a rate 5-10x faster than potassium & magnesium.

all this said, sodium is easier to replace because it is more readily available in the foods we eat, plus people use sodium in their table salt.
K+ and Mg++ can do a second pass through the kidneys and be absorbed more readily than Na+ can, but this depends on your hydration.

We are not 80% water. We are 80% saline. 0.9% NaCl. Say we are a salt water fish tank. And you take a cupful of salt water out each day. It was replaced by regular tap water. Over time, the water would become less brakish and the salt would wane to low levels. Inject other electrolytes lost into the mix and you have a depleted mix that is hard to recover from.

Yes, intracellular and extracellular gradients are different. I am going to review some osmosis equations.

While you do lose some potassium through sweating, it along with magnesium are lost at much, much lower amounts than sodium. That's because potassium & magnesium are found primarily inside the muscle cell-walls while sodium is outside in the blood. You end up losing sodium at a rate 5-10x faster than potassium & magnesium.

Would that be different for different people? I assume it would be, but not by much right? Should I add salt to my gatorade?