Potassium is an essential, common mineral found in our diets. Potassium aids in muscle contraction and assists in fluid balance, nerve function and the transmission of electrical impulses related to the heart. Good sources of potassium include foods such as bananas and potatoes. Most people get plenty of potassium in their diets. There are lots of health benefits that result from consumption of potassium.
Benefits
Significant amounts of potassium in the diet help soothe and relax feelings of anxiety, stress and irritability. Not only is potassium beneficial for your emotionally well being, but it is good for your physical strength as well. Decreases in potassium in the diet have shown to decrease muscular strength.
Potential
Potassium also has a lot of potential to help muscle and nerve functions. Potassium also reduces your chances of getting hypertension (high blood pressure). It is also excellent at treating allergies. Those who do not get enough potassium are found to be at risk for hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Considerations
If you want to reap all of the positive, healthy benefits of a potassium-rich diet, it's a good idea to eat a lot of foods such as legumes, green vegetables (spinach, lima beans), fruits (such as apricots, kiwi, cantaloupes, oranges and bananas), potatoes, mushrooms and many others.
Function
Potassium is vital to the body because it functions as an alkalinizing agent. Potassium keeps a sufficient acid-alkaline balance in the tissues and the blood. It prevents hyperacidity (excess hydrochloric acid in the stomach) from occurring. It is necessary for the contraction of the muscles and to keep the heartbeat normal. Potassium also helps hormone secretion and aids in the kidney's detoxification of blood.
Expert Insight
If you maintain a diet that has enough potassium, you could greatly reduce your chance of getting problems such as high blood pressure or strokes. In fact, a study that was composed at Harvard University showed that men who combined potassium supplements with diuretics had a sixty percent less chance of getting strokes compared to men who did not take the potassium.
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