Can potassium reduce swelling? How to increase your potassium intake at home

 

★ I do not accept any advertising inquiries ★

 

 

Hi. I am a Fact Check Pharmacist “Medi”.

 

As a pharmacist, I want to share people the reality and the facts regarding health products.

 

 

The topic I want to share with you today is

‘Can potassium reduce swelling?’ 

Then introduce how to increase your potassium intake at home.

 

 

For those who want to get rid of swelling / sodium bloat must read this carefully.

 

You may feel the differences if you read and follow the steps below.

 

 

Before we talk about the topic, we need to find out what "Sodium", "Potassium", and "Swelling" are.

 

 

 

 

"Sodium, Potassium, and Swelling"

What are these and what are the relationship between them?

 

 

 

If you want to see a summary,

please scroll down to the bottom.

 

 

Many people may have experienced

feeling puffy and bloated after eating excess sodium (salty foods).

 

But!

Not many people know how to prevent them and let it just happen.

 

 

 

 

◈ The cause → 'sodium'

---

 

Salt is an essential ingredient goes into food for a taste.

But as many people know, the main component of salt is sodium.

 

As you might know, most of the tasty food we eat out contains lots of sodium.

 

However, the problem is not many people know that 'Excessive sodium' can be the cause of all kinds of diseases.

 

 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the ideal daily value for sodium is 2,000mg.

 

 

 

 

Even so, The National Population Health Survey (NPHS) shows a result that,

9 out of 10 Singaporeans consume twice the daily recommend.

 

 

 

 

◈ Excess sodium causes various diseases

Excessive sodium intake causes not only swelling, but also various diseases throughout  the body.

 

Such as obesity, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, and chronic renal failure.

 

 

 

 

◈ Morning swelling/puffiness

 

One day, you wake up in the morning and surprised to see your body is more swollen or puffier than usual.

You must think about what you ate yesterday.

 

You most likely had high in sodium food.

 

Especially, when you go to sleep right after you eat, your body is in an excessive amount of sodium.

 

But since it hasn't released from the body, the cells draw in moisture to maintain the concentration, the cells full of moisture increase in volume, and ended up swollen in the morning.

 

 

 

Eating salty foods increases intracellular osmotic pressure due to sodium. It draws in water from the outside to maintain osmotic balance.

 

As a result, the cells become saturated with water and become swollen.

 

If the sodium swelling stay remained,

It can eventually lead to 'obesity'.

 

If you constantly get swollen, 

it is recommended to reduce your sodium intake.

 

 

 

 

◈ The solution? 'Potassium'

---

 

I'll tell you the most effective and immediate way to flush out sodium.

 

It’s 'Potassium'

 

 

What is the relationship between 'Sodium' and 'Potassium'?

 

 

Based on the cell membrane,

the concentration of potassium (K+) is high on the inside and the concentration of sodium (Na+) is high on the outside.

 

This must always be kept, so the cells are

maintained and nerve transmission function normally.

 

But what happens if you intake a lot of salty food and the sodium level is high?

 

You must quickly flush out sodium from the cell.

 

 

In order to flush out sodium out of the cell,

the action of the 'Sodium-potassium pump' is needed.

 

'Sodium-potassium pump' transport sodium and potassium ions across the cell membrane

in a ratio of 3 sodium ions out for every 2 potassium ions brought in.

 

In other words, 

Sodium moves out of the cell and potassium moves into the cell.

 

 

 

 

It is required to intake potassium

in order to flush out sodium and remove swelling.

 

Sodium and potassium are important mineral that exist in a 1:1 ratio in the body and regulate intracellular osmotic pressure, balance water and involve in swelling.

 

Unfortunately, Most people today consume too much sodium.

 

But not enough potassium!

 

 

 

 

The daily value for potassium is 3,500mg.

However, the actual daily potassium consumption is only 2,600mg.

 

Ideally, sodium and potassium should exist in an exact 1:1 ratio, but people today consume twice the daily recommended amount of sodium.

 

 

 

 

If convert the global sodium and potassium intake to moles (mol), (Sodium is 4,300mg and Potassium is 2,500mg) The ratio of sodium and potassium comes out to 3 to 1. 

 

Since people today consume 3 x more sodium than potassium, you can't help but get swollen.

 

Consequently, it is necessary to decrease sodium intake while increasing potassium intake.

 

 

 

 

◈ Excess potassium - 'Hyperkalemia'

---

 

However, potassium can cause serious problems if you intake too much, so you should be aware of intake potassium supplement.

 

If you intake potassium supplements that aren't scientifically designed, ‘Hyperkalemia’ which is excess of potassium in the blood can be caused.

 

Hyperkalemia can lead to muscle weakness, fatigue, and diarrhea. 

In worst cases, muscle paralysis, respiratory failure, hypotension, and arrhythmia can occur.

 

 

 

 

An insufficient amount of potassium is 

about 800-900mg per day.

 

** Excessive potassium intake is not recommended.

 

 

 

 

◈ Anti-inflammatory - 'Bromelain'

---

Along with potassium, an effective ingredient

for reducing swelling is ‘Bromelain’.

 

Bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme derived from pineapple plant.

 

The reason why our tongue hurt after eating pineapple is because bromelain digests the cells in our mouth.

 

 

 

Bromelain is used widely as a medicine for swelling.

 

In Korea, a country famous for plastic surgery and  beauty products, bromelain is prescribed by doctors as a medicine to reduce swelling after plastic surgery.

 

Bromelain is known to be effective for relieving inflammatory symptoms accompanied by edema and edema after surgery.

 

It is recommended to intake at least 200mg of bromelain per day.

 

 

 

 

◈ Types of potassium supplements

---

 

I have searched for potassium supplement products on Shopee.

 

There were various products such as potassium tablets, powders, and liquids.

But most of them were ineffective and could cause problems if consumed for a long time of period.

 

Since potassium is a mineral with a high risk of side effects in case of excessive intake, a content of ‘800 to 900mg’ of potassium is a safe amount to intake, excluding the amount consumed through food.

 

 

 

 

◈ Pharmacist 'Medi's Pick

---

 

Among them, one excellent product I could found was the ‘Potassium Kombucha’ product from Korea.

 

 

‘Kombucha’ is a healthy fermented tea that many K-pop stars/Hollywood celebrities drink.

It became popular because K-pop star BTS Jungkook drank it.

 

It tastes sour like red vinegar, but has slightly fizzy and sweet flavor. Because it is much more healthier than soda, I try to drink it more often.

 

 

 

The reason why I recommended the above product is as follows:

 

Reason 1#. Safe Potassium content

→ 867mg of potassium is contained per stick.

 

In the above, I have mention that it is safe to intake just 800-900mg more per day.

 

The product shown in the above contains about 900mg, so it is suitable for insufficient amount we need in our body.

 

There were several products containing 800 to 1,000mg of potassium, but another reason why I recommend the above is

 It contains not only 'Potassium' but also 'Bromelain'.

 

 

 

Reason #2. Proteolytic enzyme 'Bromelain'

→ contains 214mg of bromelain

If it only contains potassium, I may have not recommended the product.

It contains out standing potassium content, but also bromelain.

 

I recommended to intake at least 200mg of bromelain, and the ‘Potassium Kombucha’ contains 214mg of bromelain.

 

 

 

Reason #3. Healthy beverage "Kombucha"

→ It's only 25 calories 

Often people drink soda to quench the thirst. but its not a good choice for your health.

 

Most of soda beverage contains at least 150 calories with sugar.

But ‘Potassium Kombucha’ contains only about 25 calories per stick with no sugar.

 

Since The calorie of the kombucha is only 1/7 of soda, it can be an excellent choice for your daily drink.

 

 

 

Reason 4#. Other ingredients

→ Centella asiatica, pumpkin, and quercetin

In addition to these, there are more ingredients that may strengthen blood vessels.

 

 

 

★★★ The summary

1. Salty food and Sodium are the main cause of swelling/edema. 

2. Potassium is effective for sodium flush out! 

3. Consume 800 to 900mg of potassium daily. 

4. Bromelain is recommended for inflammatory swelling. 

5. Potassium + Bromelain → 'Potassium Kombucha' 

6. Reduce sodium intake!

 

 

If I find a better product, I will add it to the end of page and introduce with reasons.

Thank you!

 

+ Added

There were too many inquiries asking for the product name. At first, I replied one by one but since I was asked more than I can handle, so I'll share a link to a product page. However, please understand that I have no choice but to delete the link if the product company asks me to.

 

Purchase URL - Click the 'Shopee' link below ▼

https://vo.la/N8lHJ1

Premium Korean Kombucha 20 Sticks Lemon Flavor Probiotics Potassium Sugar Free Healthy Tea K-Melain Pharmacists Formulated Young