K+2 Potassium

Complete Essential Fatty Acid Formula K+2 Potassium is a unique potassium formula composed of potassium bicarbonate and potassium bound to the amino acid glycine, providing optimal potency, stability, and tolerability. Potassium is the third most abundant mineral in the body after calcium and phosphorus. The total potassium content of the body is approximately 30 to 40 grams, 98% of which is contained within cells, primarily in skeletal muscle. Potassium is the most abundant positively charged intracellular electrolyte. Potassium concentrations are approximately 30 times higher inside cells than outside, in contrast to sodium concentrations, which are 10 times lower inside cells than outside. It is this difference that creates the membrane potential, an electrochemical gradient across the cell membrane essential for muscle contraction, nerve impulse transmission, hormone secretion by endocrine glands, and cardiac muscle function. Twenty to 40 percent of an adult's resting energy expenditure is devoted to maintaining this critical electrochemical balance, via sodium-potassium-ATPase pumps. Potassium is abundant in vegetables, fruits, beans, and nuts, with smaller amounts found in animal foods. Because of this relative ubiquity, overt potassium deficiency is rare, but suboptimal intake can lead to signs and symptoms of insufficiency, which may include fatigue, lethargy, muscle weakness, muscle cramps or spasms, heavy legs, constipation, intestinal paralysis (resulting in delayed gastric emptying, bloating, and abdominal pain), and cardiac arrhythmias. Inadequate dietary intake does not usually lead to hypokalemia (dangerously low blood potassium levels), but the following risk factors for potassium deficiency should be considered.