The Healthy Temple

Potassium is a mineral that helps the kidneys function normally. It also plays a key role in cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle contraction, making it an important nutrient for normal heart, digestive, and muscular function. A diet high in potassium from fruits, vegetables, and legumes is generally recommended for optimum heart health.
A potassium deficiency due to increased urinary loss often occurs when medication for certain heart diseases is used to prevent sodium and water retention. To overcome this loss, physicians often suggest eating more foods high in potassium. More potassium may be prescribed as a medicine.
Increased levels may also indicate the following health conditions:
* Acute or chronic kidney failure
* Addison’s disease
* Hypoaldosteronism
* injury to tissue
* infection
* diabetes
* dehydration
Excessive dietary potassium intake (for example, fruits are particularly high in potassium, so excessive intake of fruits or juices may contribute to high potassium) excessive intravenous potassium intake. Hypokalemia
The most important use of potassium is to treat the symptoms of hypokalemia, which include weakness, lack of energy, muscle cramps, stomach disturbances, an irregular heartbeat, and an abnormal EKG (electrocardiogram, a test that measures heart function). Treatment of this condition takes place under the guidance and direction of a physician.
Osteoporosis
High dietary intake of potassium from fruits and vegetables throughout one’s life helps to preserve bone mass thereby preventing bone loss that can lead to osteoporosis.