Video: How Does Potassium Deficiency Occur in the Elderly?

How Does Potassium Deficiency Occur in the Elderly?

Elderly people can develop a potassium deficiency if they suffer from a digestive disorder or incorrect hydration levels. Get the facts on potassium deficiency in this free nutritional advice video.

Video Transcript

Hi, I'm Charlotte Lawson, a registered and licensed dietitian. Now, if you're an elderly or getting into older age or maybe in the care of someone whose elderly, you might be wondering how that effects their potassium levels and maybe why they're more prone to having potassium deficiency. Well, potassium is a mineral found in abundance in many fruits and vegetables that we eat. But oftentimes, this mal-absorption or maybe as we get older we're not absorbing it as well, sometimes we could have a digestive disorder, for instance Crohn's disease that again, prevents the absorption of this mineral. Or, it maybe our hydration status. If we're over hydrated or even under-hydrated, especially those adults that take diuretics which tend to remove the excess water from our body. These are all situations that when you might be more prone to being potassium deficiency, deficient. But like I mentioned, potassium is in a lot of the foods we eat. So depending on what your doctors recommended, try increasing your fruits and vegetables. A couple particular ones that are fairly high in potassium are bananas, your citrus juices and your beans and legumes. But again, potassium can be very sensitive as levels too high or too low can directly affect our hearts. So, make sure to check with your physician on the appropriate levels that you need to take. This is just a little bit of information on potassium, how to get enough and how to avoid that deficiency. I'm Charlotte and eat happy.

How Does Potassium Deficiency Occur in the Elderly?

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