Do You Need A Reduced Potassium Diet?

For lots of people a diet with high potassium foods has a lot of benefits. It increases bone density together with a reduction in blood pressure. However for some, a low potassium diet is needed. All those who have poor kidney function, or who have Addison's disease, or who are on potassium-sparing diuretics, or who may have one of the other rare diseases influencing blood potassium will require a diet of foods low in potassium.

People who have poorly performing kidneys are the most common to have a diet that is designed to be low in potassium. If your kidney is functioning well enough that you don't need dialysis yet, you can often get by eating a reduced potassium diet. People today on dialysis are almost always on a very special diet that will keep their blood potassium in the very best range. Kidneys control harmful levels of the minerals in our blood stream. Potassium and sodium balance the cell membrane, keeping it functioning correctly. These minerals allow the muscles and the nerves to work correctly, helping the muscles to contract and the nerves to send their signals. As the kidney begins losing function, it becomes unable to excrete sufficient potassium. A reduced amount of potassium intake helps the kidneys to stabilize the sodium and potassium in the blood.

If you see your doctor regularly, you need not worry about the balance of sodium and potassium. Doctors commonly will perform a simple blood test checking for blood levels of sodium, potassium, and creatinine (which tells just how well the elimination by the kidney is working.) If your creatinine and your potassium are normal, you would benefit by eating foods that are high in potassium.

Addison's disease results from adrenal glands not working correctly. It is one of the conditions that will benefit from a diet low in potassium. Aldosterone is the adrenal hormones that are not produced in enough quantity in Addison's diseases. Aldosterone influences the ability of a kidney to excrete potassium and sodium. Reduced aldosterone ends up in high levels of blood potassium because of poor excretion by the kidneys.

Some people with hypertension or who congestive heart failure may be on a potassium-sparing diuretic to help them get rid of extra retained fluid. Usually this kind of diuretic is taken with another diuretic promoting potassium excretion, helping the blood potassium level to stay normal. If you are on a potassium-sparing diuretic without the potassium excreting one, you may require a low potassium diet to keep your blood level of potassium level. Your medical practitioner will be able to tell you if this is needed.

An unusual illness with low aldosterone can be hyporeninemic hypoaldosteronism. Usually occuring in older folks, it is a result of reduced function in the aging kidneys. For these patients the aldosterone and the renin levels are low, producing increased levels of potassium in the blood, coming from the lower excretion of the kidney.

There are other diseases which require a reduction of potassium in the diet. These conditions are rare and, almost always the patients' doctors inform them of the need to stay on a diet low in potassium.

For everyone else, a diet with high potassium foods can provide great benefits, resulting in more energy, a smaller amount of fatigue, lower blood pressure and improved bone density.

About the Author

Allen Potas is a physician with several decades of interest in a healthy lifestyle and nutrition.
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