NEEDED. IN TONIGHT’S WOMAN’S DOCTOR, WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY THAN MEN TO HAVE LOW POTASSIUM. MERCY MEDICAL CENTER DOCTOR ERNESTINE WRIGHT SAYS ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE PLAY A ROLE HERE. WOMEN’S BODY COMPOSITION CHANGES AS THEY AGE, AND THAT CAN ALSO AFFECT YOUR POTASSIUM LEVEL. MOST OF THESE PATIENTS ARE 65 YEARS OLD AND OLDER. DOCTOR WRIGHT SAYS THE MOST COMMON SYMPTOM OF LOW POTASSIUM IS MUSCLE WEAKNESS IN THE LOWER PART OF YOUR BODY. YOU MAY ALSO EXPERIENCE HEART PALPITATIONS IN SOME CASES. LOW POTASSIUM CAN CAUSE YOU TO FEEL TIRED AND WEARY. WE WANT YOUR POTASSIUM LEVEL IDEALLY TO BE BETWEEN 4 TO 4 AND A HALF MILLIMOLES PER LITER. SO IF SOMEBODY COMES IN WHO SAYS ON THE BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATION, THAT DOES TEND TO LOWER THEIR POTASSIUM LEVELS. IF YOUR POTASSIUM LEVEL IS LESS THAN THREE AND A HALF, WE WOULD TEND TO PRESCRIBE A POTASSIUM SUPPLEMENT TO TRY TO GET IT UP TO THE OPTIMUM LEVEL. IN ADDITION TO ADVISING YOU TO EAT FOODS THAT ARE HIGH IN POTASSIUM. NOW, OF COURSE, WE KNOW POTASSIUM IS IN BANANAS. A LOT OF TIMES. BUT DOCTOR WRIGHT SAYS ALSO GRABBED CITRUS FRUIT LIKE ORANGES AND LEAFY GREENS LIKE SPINACH AND COLLARD GREENS.
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Woman’s Doctor: Low potassium levels more common in women
Women are more likely than men to have low potassium, which can lead to several health issues.Mercy Medical Center’s Dr. Ernestine Wright said estrogen and progesterone play a role as woman’s body composition changes as they age. That change can also affect a woman’s potassium level, particularly in most patients 65 and older.Wright said the most common symptom of low potassium is muscle weakness in the lower part of the body. People may also experience heart palpitations, and, in some cases, low potassium can cause a person to feel tired and weary.”We want your potassium level ideally to be between 4-4.5 minimal per liter. So, if somebody comes in who stays on a blood pressure medication, that does tend to lower their potassium levels,” Wright said. “If your potassium level is less than 3.5, we would tend to prescribe potassium supplements to try to get it up to the optimum levels in addition to advising you to eat foods that are high in potassium.”It is well known that bananas contain potassium, but Wright said to also eat citrus fruits, such as oranges, and leafy greens, like spinach and collard greens. Tomatoes and prunes are also on the list of foods with high potassium.
Women are more likely than men to have low potassium, which can lead to several health issues.
Mercy Medical Center’s Dr. Ernestine Wright said estrogen and progesterone play a role as woman’s body composition changes as they age. That change can also affect a woman’s potassium level, particularly in most patients 65 and older.
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Wright said the most common symptom of low potassium is muscle weakness in the lower part of the body. People may also experience heart palpitations, and, in some cases, low potassium can cause a person to feel tired and weary.
“We want your potassium level ideally to be between 4-4.5 minimal per liter. So, if somebody comes in who stays on a blood pressure medication, that does tend to lower their potassium levels,” Wright said. “If your potassium level is less than 3.5, we would tend to prescribe potassium supplements to try to get it up to the optimum levels in addition to advising you to eat foods that are high in potassium.”
It is well known that bananas contain potassium, but Wright said to also eat citrus fruits, such as oranges, and leafy greens, like spinach and collard greens. Tomatoes and prunes are also on the list of foods with high potassium.