Potassium (K) is considered to be a soft slivery white metal that is essential for all living things. This mineral is an electrolyte (a substance that conducts electricity in the body along with sodium, chloride, calcium, and magnesium). Potassium plays a vital role in heart function as well as in skeletal and smooth muscle contraction. To have the proper balance of potassium in the body depends on sodium. If a person consumes too much sodium it can reduce the amount of storage for potassium. In addition to this, enough magnesium is needed to help maintain the normal level of potassium in the body. If not two types of conditions can occur: hyperkalemia: too much potassium is in the blood, and hypokalemia: too little potassium is in the blood. Potassium is known to work with sodium to help maintain the body's water balance; with a increase in potassium this may increase the amount of sodium excreted from the body. With this in mind, kidneys help regulate the level of potassium in the body.
References:
1. Anderson, J., Young, L., and Long, E. Potassium and Health. Colorado State University. August 2008. 25 January 2011. <http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09355.html>.
2. Function of Potassium in the body. Hubpages. 24 January 2011. <http://hubpages.com/hub/Function_of_Potassium_in_the_Body>.
3. Potassium. University of Maryland Medical Center. 24 January 2011. <http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/potassium-000320.htm>.
In its uses for heart function and skeletal muscle contraction, what does it specifically do? Is it because of its involvement in the sodium-potassium pump and creating an electrochemical gradient? It is quite interesting how the body balances the different ions to regulate the amount of water and blood pressure, as well. Overall, I liked your post and you touched on the major uses of potassium. A little broad, maybe expand more on the mechanisms.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog as it was easy to follow and understand. I did find it to be a little vague on some of potassium's role in skeletal system and smooth muscle contractions, but perhaps I'll get that in physiology. If I understood correctly, you were referring to the sodium-potassium pump in part of your blog? It would have been good to mention that I think. Other than that I liked it. Not too wordy, simple, and to the point.
ReplyDelete-The High School Chemist
Good post outlining the basics of potassium in the body, however you could have gone a little bit more in depth and given examples about more specific functions of potassium. For example, the role of potassium in nerve-impulses. The post was informative about conditions invovled with the balance of potassium in the body and about potassium's role in general.
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