Sodium and Potassium Levels
Your body requires a balance of minerals in addition to other nutrients to work properly. Calcium, a widely available mineral, encourages bone growth. Sodium and potassium, two other minerals, promote healthy nervous and muscular systems.
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Sodium and Potassium Functions
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Sodium and potassium, which are both electrolytes, provide the means for electrical impulses to travel through the nervous system. According to website Medicine Net, both elements have a positive charge, meaning their electrons can travel freely through the body. Potassium exists inside cells, and sodium exists outside of cells.
What Foods Contain Sodium and Potassium?
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Almost all food contains sodium due to processing for preservation. When you prepare or serve food, adding table salt increases sodium content. Potassium comes from fruits and vegetables--a medium-size banana, for instance, contains 450 mg of potassium, according to the University of Massachusetts. Baked potatoes and cantaloupe provide even more potassium.
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How Much Sodium and Potassium to Eat
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According to the Los Angeles Times, you should consume twice as much potassium as sodium for maximum heart health. Sodium causes you to retain fluid, which leads to high blood pressure. Your ideal intake should be 4,700 mg of potassium and 2,600 mg of sodium per day.
Electrolyte Imbalance Symptoms
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Too much sodium in your body--hypernatremia--causes high blood pressure and fluid retention. Too little sodium--hyponatremia-- leads to dehydration because sodium moves water through the body. It also leads to muscles that are unable to contract. Too much potassium--hyperkalemia--causes fatigue and heart arrhythmia. Hypokalemia, or too little potassium, causes slowed reflexes and nerve impulses.
Other Causes
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Other factors can contribute to electrolyte excess or deficiency. For example, kidney infections or chronic kidney disease can cause a potassium imbalance because the kidneys normally filter it from water in the body. Sodium imbalances come from having too much or too little water in the body.
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