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Our Members Asked:

I'm worried that I'm not getting enough potassium, but potassium supplements only provide a small dose -- much less than the daily requirement. Why is this, and how can increase my daily intake?

Written by Tod Cooperman, M.D.

Updated December 11, 2019 ⓘ

Answer:

Although most Americans get enough potassium from their diets and many common foods are rich in potassium, there is evidence that many Americans may not be getting adequate potassium, which, for most adults is 4,700 mg per day.

Many potassium supplements provide just a small fraction of this amount, often 99 mg of potassium per daily serving. The reasons for this are explained in the "What to Consider When Buying" section of the Potassium Supplements Review. However, as also noted in the Review, supplements providing larger doses of potassium are now available on the market. These may be more practical for people who take larger doses of potassium for a specific reason, such as lowering high blood pressure, or for those who are unable to get enough potassium in their diet.

For more about this, as well as our tests of products, see the Potassium Supplements Review >>