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Recent Advances in Nutritional Sciences

Protective Effects of High Dietary Potassium: Nutritional and Metabolic Aspects^1,2

Metabolic Diseases and Micronutriments Unit, INRA Theix/CRNH Clermont-Ferrand, 63122 St-Genes-Champanelle, France and ^* Public Health and Computing Department, School of Medicine Broussais-Hôtel Dieu, 75270 Paris cedex 06, France

³To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: demigne{at}clermont.inra.fr.

Potassium (K⁺) requirements have been largely overlooked because severe deficiencies are uncommon due to the ubiquity of this element in foods. However, a transition toward modern ("Westernized") diets has led to a substantial decline of K⁺ intake compared with traditional food habits, and a large fraction of the population might now have suboptimal K⁺ intake. A high K⁺ intake was demonstrated to have protective effects against several pathologic states affecting the cardiovascular system, kidneys, and bones. Additionally, fruits and vegetables contain K/organic anion salts (malate, citrate), which exert alkalinizing effects, through KHCO₃^– generation, which serves to neutralize fixed acidity in urine. Low-grade metabolic acidosis, when not properly controlled, may exacerbate various catabolic processes (bone Ca⁺⁺ mobilization, proteolysis), especially in the elderly. Fruits and vegetables are therefore receiving great attention in a strategy to increase the nutritional value of meals while reducing energy density and intake. The need to ensure a 2.5- to 3.5-g daily K⁺ supply from fruits and vegetables represents a strong rationale for the "5–10 servings per day" recommendations.

KEY WORDS: • potassium • magnesium • Westernized diet • plant food • acid-base • energy density

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