potassium and K-Factor

[bluugirl]

I read somewhere that 'too much' potassium can cause a heart attack. I don't know what is too much etc..
Also it was written that it's not so much how much potassium you ingest (if you are deficient) but it is the ratio of potassium to sodium, i.e. K-factor which is what is important for health benefits. Therefore a person may increase their K-factor by decreasing their sodium intake, or by eating unprocessed foods. Most unprocessed/organic foods have a much higher potassium to sodium ratio.
can anyone shed some light (about the heart attack thing ~ it worried me. Thanks

[Natrushka]

Hypertension: It's Not Worth the Salt
By Dr. Julian Whitaker
Why eating foods rich in potassium is essential to regulating blood pressure.

HEALTH FOR A LIFETIME SERIES


If you have hypertension -- and 1 out of 5 Americans have it -- your doctor has probably told you to cut down on your salt intake. But according to the latest research, it's not simply the sodium in your diet that affects blood pressure; much more important is the ratio of sodium to potassium.

Sodium and potassium are both electrolytes, substances that carry an electric charge and conduct electricity when dissolved in water. Inside your body, these two charged particles are constantly competing to enter your cells. The rules of the game are very rigid: When a sodium ion muscles its way inside a cell, a potassium ion gets ejected. This dance of ions creates a voltage, a true electrical charge, along the cell membrane -- and this electricity is vital to your muscles, brain, heart and other organs.

The Danger of Excess Sodium

So what does this have to do with blood pressure? Everything. The interplay between sodium and potassium regulates blood volume and the relaxation of the arteries, both of which are factors in blood pressure control. When you add too much sodium to the mix, the volume of blood goes up, the arteries constrict, and blood pressure soars.

Ideally, 95 percent of your body's potassium should be inside your cells, while most of your body's sodium should remain outside. Unfortunately, if you're eating the typical American diet, that's probably not the case. The average American eats 5,000 milligrams of sodium per day. You may think you're eating less because you've banned the salt shaker from your dinner table, but think again -- sodium is added to virtually every packaged and processed food you eat, from soup to nuts.

Getting Enough Potassium?

According to Richard D. Moore, M.D., Ph.D., who has researched the potassium-hypertension connection for many years, the optimal ratio of potassium to sodium in the diet is 4-to-1. That is, you should take in 400 milligrams of potassium for every 100 milligrams of sodium you consume. Dr. Moore calls this 4-to-1 ratio the "K Factor." (Potassiums symbol on the periodic table of the elements is the letter "K".)

Eating with the K Factor in mind will improve more than your blood pressure. The foods that are naturally high in potassium and low in sodium are fruits and vegetables, which are among the healthiest foods you can eat. Conversely, the foods that are "naturally" high in sodium and low in potassium are canned, smoked, cured, processed foods, which are among the least healthy foods you can eat. Boost your intake of potassium-rich plant foods, banish high-sodium foods from your diet, and watch your blood pressure normalize.


Nat