Potassium food sources

Sodium and Potassium. Whereas sodium ion is the most abundant cation in the extracellular fluid, potassium ion is the most abundant in the intracellular fluid. Small amounts of K" are requited in the extracellular fluid to maintain normal muscle activity. Some sodium ion is also present in intracellular fluid (see Fig. 5). Common food sources rich in potassium may be found in Table 7. Those rich in sodium are Hsted in Table 8. 

Table 7. Common Food Sources Rich in Potassium...

The primary exposure pathway is through ingestion of food sources include milk, meat, and a variety of fruits. Many salt substitutes contain potassium chloride. 

Properties Light buff, odorless crystals white when pure discolor on exposure to light and air. Mp 186-187C. Sparingly soluble in cold water soluble in hot water, glacial acetic acid, ethyl acetate. Unstable to ferric salts and oxidizing agents. Derivation Reduction of p-nitrobenzoic acid. Commercially available as the calcium, potassium, and sodium salts. Food source Widely distributed, especially in yeast. 

Anderson, J., L. Young, and E. Long. Potassium and Health. Available online. URL www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09355.html. Accessed on June 23, 2009. An easy-to-read resource on potassium and food sources from the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. 

In addition to the macronutrients, nuts contain significant amounts of essential micronutrients such as vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and folate [29]. Nuts are also one of the richest whole foods sources of vitamin E and were specifically recommended in the 2005 Dietary... 

Groupings by rank of common food sources of potassium are given in the section on MINERAL(S), Table M-25, Mineral Table. 

Information about a food s potassium content is required on the nutrition facts panel only if the food contains added potassium as a nutrient or if claims about it as a nutrient appear on the label. In all other cases, it is voluntary. The recommended daily value for potassium is 3500 mg. The following labels have been designated for foods high potassium (700 mg or more per serving) good source of potassium (350—665 mg per serving) more or added potassium (at least 350 mg more per serving than the reference food) (43). 

Iodized Salt. Iodized table salt has been used to provide supplemental iodine to the U.S. population since 1924, when producers, in cooperation with the Michigan State Medical Society (24), began a voluntary program of salt iodization in Michigan that ultimately led to the elimination of iodine deficiency in the United States. More than 50% of the table salt sold in the United States is iodized. Potassium iodide in table salt at levels of 0.006% to 0.01% KI is one of two sources of iodine for food-grade salt approved by the U.S. Food and Dmg Administration. The other, cuprous iodide, is not used by U.S. salt producers. Iodine may be added to a food so that the daily intake does not exceed 225 p.g for adults and children over four years of age. Potassium iodide is unstable under conditions of extreme moisture and temperature, particularly in an acid environment. Sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate is added to increase alkalinity, and sodium thiosulfate or dextrose is added to stabilize potassium iodide. Without a stabilizer, potassium iodide is oxidized to iodine and lost by volatilization from the product. Potassium iodate, far more stable than potassium iodide, is widely used in other parts of the world, but is not approved for use in the United States. 

A fourth source of brine is obtained through solution mining. Potash is mined in Moab, Utah by solution mining. Much of the food-grade sodium chloride in the United States, Europe, and other parts of the world is solution mined. Large beds of potassium salts in Canada and trona beds in Wyoming and California are being solution mined. 

Exposure to natural sources of radiation is unavoidable. Externally, individuals receive cosmic rays, terrestrial X-rays, and gamma radiation. Internally, naturally occurring radionuclides of Pb, Po, Bi, Ra, Rn, K, C, H, U, and Th contribute to the natural radiation dose from inhalation and ingestion. Potassium-40 is the most abundant radionuclide in foods and in all tissues. The mean effective human dose equivalent from natural radiations is 2.4 milliSieverts (mSv). This value includes the lung dose from radon daughter products and is about 20% higher than a 1982 estimate that did not take lung dose into account (Table 32.4). 

Potassium is essential to all living organisms. It is a trace element required for a healthy diet and is found in many foods. One natural source is bananas. 

Potassium iodide is found in seaweed. Some important appbcations of this compound involve its use in pharmaceuticals and as a source of iodine in food, especially in animal and poultry feed. Potassium iodide is added to table salt to provide iodine in human food. 

The main sources of vitamin C are green vegetables and citrus fruit. Animal tissue contains vitamin C, mainly in the kidneys and liver. The level of vitamin C in food is rapidly reduced during cooking or storage due to oxidation or water dissolution. It is added to food as an antioxidant (with no specified limit on the level of use) or as a supplement (with a maximum recommended daily intake of 3000mg/day). The forms admitted are L-ascorbic acid (AA), L-ascorbyl 6-palmitate, sodium, calcium, or potassium L-ascorbate [403]. 

K is a (3 -emitting nuclide that is the predominant radioactive component of normal foods and human tissue. Due to the 1460-keV 7 ray that accompanies the (3 decay, it is also an important source of background radiation detected by 7-ray spectrometers. The natural concentration in the body contributes about 17 mrem/y to the whole body dose. The specific activity of 40K is approximately 855 pCi/g potassium. Despite the high specific activity of 87Rb of 2400 pCi/g, the low abundance of rubidium in nature makes its contribution to the overall radioactivity of the environment small. 

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