Potassium

[Shotokan-kez]

I was advised to eat lots of bananas to help with the cramp because they contain potassium. I have recently heard too much potassium is actually bad for you. So how many bananas are we talking about here? In one day i can eat at least three, every day.

Kez

[Aodhan]

I was advised to eat lots of bananas to help with the cramp because they contain potassium. I have recently heard too much potassium is actually bad for you. So how many bananas are we talking about here? In one day i can eat at least three, every day.

Kez

Actual potassium overdosing is extremely rare. I haven't seen anything that says too much potassium is bad, mostly it's going to get excreted. Was this something that you read, (post link?), or something that someone "heard" and repeated?

Aodhan

[marie curie]

I know two people who have had high potassium which caused problems, and they had to avoid bananas and tomatoes and orange juice, etc.

Usually this is only really bad if you have kidney trouble to begin with.

3 bananas a day should be healthy

("healthy" is for joe average of course + I'm not a dr. I'm a bioengineer and a certified EMT, but cannot give real med advice).

[Shotokan-kez]

I heard it from my sister who worked in a pharmacy for a while.

[Medici]

Potassium helps, but muscle cramping is actually usually do to magnesium issues. Google that and see what you find.

[Samuel]

There are two basic causes of cramping. One is inadequate oxygenation of muscle, and the other is lack of water or salt. Cramps from poor oxygenation can be improved by rapid deep breathing, as well as stretching the muscle. Cramps from lack of salt and water can be treated by stretching the muscle, and of course drinking water and increasing salt intake. Pounding on the muscle can increase soreness.

Muscle cramps in particular can be treated by applying a soft massage on the cramped muscle, stretching the muscle and applying heat or cold. Heat improves superficial blood circulation and makes muscles more flexible, so some people find that heat is more soothing for muscle cramps than applying ice.

Electrolyte disturbance may cause cramping and tetany of muscles, particularly hypokalemia (a lack of potassium) and hypocalcemia (a lack of calcium).

Sourced from Wikipedia.

[Aodhan]

Ok, lets get the whole thing straight here.

The average muscle cell at rest has a high concentration of potassium inside the cell, and a high concentration of sodium outside the cell. The cell itself has a resting value of about -70 mv (Millivolts).

When action is needed (Such as a muscle being used), channels in the membrane of the cell open up, and sodium (+) charge starts entering the cell. Potassium (also a + charge) starts exiting. Potassium moves much slower than sodium, so the resting potential of the cells rises, and as it gets nearer to zero, it "fires" or clenches (IIRC, the firing occurs somewhere around -45 mV. The flow of the ions then reverses itself, and the cell returns to its resting state of -70 millivolts.

So, if you have depleted potassium in your cells, then your resting potential raises, which makes it much easier for the muscle to clench, and much harder for it to relax, or return to it's resting state.

Magnesium won't produce cramps until you start getting a pretty severe deficiency, and at that point it is often associated with hypokalemia (Low potassium) in the blood.

Aodhan

[Shotokan-kez]

Wow thats very interesting information, thanks!!

[getawaytkd]

what does potassium do for you?

[Shotokan-kez]

lol getaway thats what i'm trying to find out. I constantly have an upset stomach, it's not so much pain just an 'uncomfortable' and 'off' feeling and i hate it thats why i made this post on potassium and the other one on salt. I want to try and eat the right foods.

Kez xx