Re: Where is potassium found?

Sean Stinson (sstinson@uoguelph.ca)
24 Oct 1995 19:56:11 GMT

H. M. Hubey (hubey@pegasus.montclair.edu) wrote:
: RE: Secretion of Potassium in tears in Humans, Ostriches, etc
: The posts were interesting.
: I seem to recall that people on low salt diets can take
: potassium. Is my recollection correct? Potassium salts
: also taste like salt if I recall correctly.
Sean replied,
Yes.
: Is there any place in Africa where large concentrations
: of potassium salts would be found?
Sean replied,
Bannanas are considered high in K+.
: Are potassium salts found in sea water?
Sean replied,
The physiological concentrations sodium,
potassium, and chloride, in the body fliuds of all mammals
is almost exacttly the same as sea water.
Ion | Seawater | Mammals
------------------------------
Na+ | 480mM/L | 142mM/L
K+ | 10 mM/L | 4 mM/L
Ca++ | 11 mM/L | 2.4mM/L
Cl- | 560mM/L | 103mM/L

: Can the kidneys get rid of potassium?
Sean replied,
>Most potassium is contained intra-cellularly
>so the extracellular concentrations are quite low
>, but the kidneys do excrete potassium to keep the
>balance.

: Does sweating also excrete potassium?
Sean replied,
>Typically sodium and chlroide is excreted.
>The loss of water usually leads to a 1.2
>times increase in extracellular potasium
>concentrations.
: Are there any plants that would be rich in potassium ? IOW
: not because they grow where there's potassium but they
: somehow manage to concentrate potassium everywhere they grow?
>I'm not a botanist but I know that bannanas are rich in
potassium.
: Are there any animals which would be a rich source
: of potassium, i.e. sea food of any kind?
>All animals would be rich in potassium.
: Is potassium `close' to lithium i.e. can potassium salts
: have effects similar to that of lithium for manic depression?
No idea.

: In short:
: Is there any reason why potassium would be secreted?
It is usually excreted with urine in fairly high concentrations,
to maintain the concentration gradients. Low extracellular and
High intracellular.