← Nutrients & foods

Vitamins & minerals · FROM DR. PURSER’S TEACHING

Potassium

Helps fluid balance, nerve signaling and muscle contraction.

Based on teaching by Dan Purser, MD. How we prepare these guides

Updated Sep 23, 2026 · Educational reference

THE TEACHING CONNECTION

Helps fluid balance, nerve signaling and muscle contraction.

What it does

Helps fluid balance, nerve signaling and muscle contraction.

Possible deficiency symptoms

Low blood potassium can cause weakness, constipation or abnormal heart rhythms. Medicines and fluid losses are common considerations.

How supplementation is approached

Potassium concerns require attention to blood electrolytes, kidney function and medicines. A CMA-related discussion must not replace assessment of a clinically low or high blood potassium result. Do not choose potassium tablets or potassium-based salt substitutes solely from muscle cramps or fatigue.

Food sources

Potatoes; beans; lentils; yogurt; vegetables; fruit.

Supplement forms

Potassium chloride and potassium citrate.

What to track and reassess

Ask whether blood testing is needed and review diuretics, blood-pressure medicines and kidney disease before changing intake. Significant weakness or heart-rhythm symptoms require medical assessment.

From starting support to follow-up

If you and your clinician start a CMA replenishment plan, you may add one new product at a time, often waiting 3–7 days to see how you feel. A check-in is usually planned near ten weeks during an approximately 100-day period. Follow your written plan for amounts and timing. At follow-up, you may continue, change, or stop each item. This timetable does not automatically end longer-term support.

Names you may see

Potassium