Along with sodium and chlorine, potassium is one of the most important elements that have a key impact on the proper functioning of the organism. Maintaining correct potassium levels is key to being a healthy person and feel good, as both excess and deficiency can wreak havoc on our bodies.
Symptoms and effects of excess potassium in the body
Potassium is an essential chemical element found in the human body. The element influences the body's water-electrolyte balance, participates in the metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates, regulates the osmotic pressure of cells, and is involved in the activation of many enzymes. An excess of potassium in the body is a condition called hyperkalaemia. Hyperkalaemia is an increase in the concentration of potassium in the body, in serum, above 5.5 mmol/L. Mild hyperkalaemia is characterised by potassium levels between 5.6 and 6.5 mmol/L. Moderate hyperkalaemia is a potassium level of 6.6- 7.5 mmol/L. In contrast, severe hyperkalaemia is characterised by potassium levels above 7.5 mmol/L.
Symptoms of hyperkalaemia affect the muscular and nervous systems. Typical symptoms of excess potassium are:
- skeletal muscle paralysis/weakness;
- decrease in cardiac output volume;
- sensory disturbance, e.g. tingling, numbness or a feeling of hot or cold;
- cardiac arrhythmias, which can be bradycardia, asystole or ventricular fibrillation;
- ECG changes;
- weakening of tendon reflexes;
Excess potassium in the blood can result in serious heart disease and even lead to cardiac arrest.
Excess potassium and coffee - are there contraindications
The potassium content depends on several factors. These include the strength of the coffee extract, the water used to brew the coffee, method of making coffee and coffee additives. Excess potassium often affects people struggling with kidney disease, those on medication and with poorly managed diabetes. Giving up drinking coffeev with excess potassium depends on many factors. It is important to keep an eye on not exceeding the daily potassium limit that has been agreed with your doctor. People with excess potassium should not exceed 2000mg/day. A person with this condition should watch out for coffee additives such as brown sugar to avoid too much potassium intake. A teaspoon of white sugar contains trace amounts of potassium, while a teaspoon of brown sugar is already about 7 mg of potassium. Sugar substitutes such as xylitol and erythrol contain no potassium. Acesulfame K, a quite popular sweetener in tablets, contains a large amount of potassium in its composition, but the use of one tablet a day will not do any harm. Correct coffee drinking during elevated potassium levels include:
1. short coffee brewing, as weak coffee has less potassium;
2. Stain your coffee with milk almond or rice milk, rather than regular white milk;
3. discontinue sweeteners containing acesulfame K;
4. drink coffee occasionally, or if you must, two small cups of weak coffee;
5. choose instant coffee over brewed or espresso coffee;
6. you should consult your doctor about coffee drinking;
7. avoid coffee grounds as they contain a lot of potassium;
How to reduce potassium in the body?
A home remedy for lowering potassium in the body is to consume certain products. These products should have a limited or total absence of this chemical element in their composition. We should avoid tomatoes, beetroot, salmon, cod, mackerel, trout, tuna, sprat, potatoes, yams, bananas, peaches, apricots, mushrooms and dried fruit. Another method to reduce potassium is the double-cooking method. This involves soaking the vegetables before cooking for about 30 minutes and then cooking without salt with several changes of water. Cooking in this way reduces potassium by up to 60%. The dishes should be cooked without meat and vegetable stock. Salt substitutes and potassium supplements must not be used. Potassium can be reduced by cutting vegetables. A large amount of potassium is lost during this process. It is not advisable to drink decaffeinated coffee, because in one hundred millilitres of such coffee, there are about 110 milligrams of potassium. Vegetables and fruit should be peeled before consumption, as they contain a large amount of potassium.
Recommended products for people with hyperkalaemia include:
(a) Bread: light, wheat, wholemeal without grains;
(b) groats: fine, semolina, wheat, krakowska, as well as rice and pasta;
(c) chicken, turkey, beef, lean veal, rabbit and lean poultry and pork meats;
d) fresh milk, kefir, yoghurt, cottage cheese, skim cheese, fresh homogenised cheese, butter; cream, sour cream; dairy desserts.
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