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. 2024 Feb 7:68.
doi: 10.29219/fnr.v68.10365. eCollection 2024.

Potassium - a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023

Ulla Toft  1   2 , Nanna Louise Riis  1 , Antti Jula  3
Affiliations

Potassium - a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023

Ulla Toft et al. Food Nutr Res. .

Abstract

Potassium (K) is an essential mineral that is necessary for normal cell and membrane function and for maintaining both fluid balance and acid-base balance. Potassium is furthermore very important for normal excitation, for example in nerves and muscle. It is widely available in several food products, with the most important dietary sources being potatoes, fruits, vegetables, cereal and cereal products, milk and dairy products, and meat and meat products. Potassium deficiency and toxicity is rare in healthy people, but dietary potassium is associated with other health outcomes. Results from observational studies have shown that a potassium intake above 3500 mg/day (90 mmol/day) is associated with a reduced risk of stroke. Similarly, intervention studies provide evidence that this level of potassium intake has a beneficial effect on blood pressure, particularly among persons with hypertension and in persons with a high sodium intake (>4 g/day, equivalent to >10 g salt/day).

Keywords: hyperkalaemia; hypertension; hypokalaemia; minerals; nutrition recommendations; potassium.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have not received any funding or benefits from industry or elsewhere to conduct this study.

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