Potassium levels
I had always understood that potassium salts were something we are usually short of and that potassium chloride, as a substitute for common salt, was to be encouraged, as was eating plenty of fruit and vegetables to replenish the body's intake of this mineral. I was therefore surprised when watching a recent episode of Holby City when a patient should have been refused an operation because there was too much potassium in her blood. Then, last week, real life echoed this and my elderly neighbour was refused an operation for varicose veins for the same reason. Can you explain this?
I would be surprised to find any practitioner or healthstore recommending increasing an intake of potassium unless laboratory tests have indicated a deficiency and not least because potassium works in conjunction with sodium in the body to regulate water balance and blood pressure and so mucking about with levels of either mineral will have a direct and potentially adverse effect on the other.
A healthy body can regulate levels of both and it may be that someone who has too much potassium in their blood has an underlying kidney problem which would explain why the mineral is not being eliminated in the same way as it would be when the kidneys are functioning optimally.
Too much potassium can also be a contributing factor to low blood pressure (hypotension) in the same way too much sodium can conttribute to high blood pressure so it is feasible doctors would not want to operate until this is brought back under control. There would be myriad reasons why someone has too much potassium in their system but one everyday factor for this could be a high intake of caffeine which can alter the sodium/potassium balance. The key thing to emphasise here for anyone wondering if they are deficient in any of the important minerals the body needs for optimal health is that investing in proper nutritional testing will pay dividends in the long term and ensure you stay on the side of a safe intake without affecting levels of other minerals.