Better Nutrition June 2020

Other types of prescription diuretics
may deplete potassium. With these,
a doctor may prescribe high-dose
potassium supplements, but patients
shouldn’t take extra potassium supplements
on their own. Potassium levels
can be checked with a simple blood
test—normal levels range from 3.7
to 5.2 millimoles per liter (mmol/L).
In susceptible people, dangerously
high levels of potassium can cause
weakness, fatigue, and irregular heart
rhythms that, in extreme cases, can
lead to heart attack and death.
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Can you Get Too Much Potassium?
While eating a diet high in potassiumrich
foods is a good idea, potassium
supplements can produce an overload
for some people. Anyone with lessthan-optimum
kidney function, which
may be a byproduct of diabetes or
heart failure, shouldn’t take potassium
supplements unless they’re prescribed
by a doctor.
Some medications raise potassium
levels and should not be combined
with potassium supplements. Such
drugs include ACE inhibitors such as
lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril) or ramipril
(Altace), and some over-the-counter
pain remedies such as ibuprofen
(Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve).
20 • JUNE 2020
Potassium Supplements
The dose of potassium in supplements,
including multivitamins, is generally no
more than 99 mg per serving to avoid
accidental potassium overload in people
with kidney and related diseases. For
healthy people, there is no official upper
limit for potassium, and supplements can
provide some insurance against shortfalls.
Many salt substitutes replace sodium
with potassium chloride, and these can
provide higher doses of potassium. While
they can be a good sodium alternative
for healthy people, anyone with kidney
disease, diabetes, or heart failure should
exercise the same cautions against
potassium overload from such seasonings
as they would with supplements.
Bottom line, there are no downsides
to eating foods that are high in potassium
and many other beneficial nutrients.
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