Does elevated potassium lead to elevated cortisol?
I came across this statement on Selfhacked:
If you have high cortisol, you will do worse with a high salt diet and you will be potassium deficient in the long term (few people as it is get the RDA). But taking potassium supplements is not simple, because the deficiency is in your cells, not your blood. Also, potassium raises cortisol, which isn’t good if you already have high levels. Cortisol is anti-inflammatory, but it can also cause arthritis by inhibiting collagen formation and also by lowering cell potassium. Cell potassium is always low in rheumatoid arthritis (R). The answer is to reduce stress.
I tried searching for any proof of this, but haven't been able to find. Is this true? Does potassium really raise cortisol? Are there any published research articles confirming this?
Does it follow from this (if true) that a constant overdose of potassium-rich foods may cause a Cushing-like state? This sounds doubtful to me.
(1)1 Comments
Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best
National Institutes of Health - Health Professionals Fact Sheet on Potassium
Dietary potassium
In healthy people with normal kidney function, high dietary potassium intakes do not pose a health risk because the kidneys eliminate excess amounts in the urine. In addition, there is no evidence that high intakes of dietary potassium have adverse effects. Therefore, the Food and Nutrition Board did not set a UL for potassium.
Source: National Institutes of Health - Health Professionals Fact Sheet on Potassium, Health Risks from Excessive Potassium
Note, the article speaks of dietary potassium, what we would consume in the diet.
A lot of sites on the internet make the (dubious?) assumption that all persons are under the care of a doctor, and hence they would know if they had inadequate kidney function. But of course, for various reasons, not everyone is under the care of a doctor.
Nevertheless, I hope the above information is helpful. I would suggest that people may want to read the entire article on potassium that I linked.
Terms of Use Privacy policy Contact About Cancellation policy © freshhoot.com2026 All Rights reserved.