From the Guidelines
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of potassium for adults is approximately 4700 mg/day.
Key Points
- The adequate intake level for adult patients is 4700 mg/day as encouraged by the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans 1.
- The World Health Organization recommends a potassium intake of at least 90 mmol (3510 mg) per day from food for adult patients 1.
- A high intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with a lower incidence of stroke and can provide 1500 to >3000 mg of potassium 1.
- The DASH diet, which is high in potassium content, has been shown to lower BP and is a recommended dietary approach 1.
- Increasing dietary potassium intake to 3500 – 5000 mg/day can help lower BP, especially in those consuming more dietary sodium 1.
From the FDA Drug Label
The usual dietary intake of potassium by the average adult is 50 to 100 mEq per day. The usual dietary intake of potassium is 50 to 100 mEq per day
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of potassium for adults is not explicitly stated in the provided drug labels. However, the usual dietary intake of potassium is mentioned to be 50 to 100 mEq per day 2 2.
From the Research
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of Potassium for Adults
- The adequate intake of potassium is relatively high in healthy adults, i.e., 4.7 g per day 3
- The average reduction in blood pressure with 4.7 g (120 mmol) of dietary potassium per day is 8.0/4.1 mm Hg, depending on race and the relative intakes of other minerals such as sodium, magnesium, and calcium 4
- Increasing consumption of potassium to 4.7 g per day predicts lower event rates for future cardiovascular disease, with estimated decreases of 8% to 15% in cerebrovascular accident and 6% to 11% in myocardial infarction 4
- However, it is noted that evidence on which current potassium intake recommendations have limitations, and more recent evidence suggests that more evidence is needed to define specific values for optimal potassium intakes 5
Factors Influencing Potassium Requirements
- Potassium requirements undoubtedly vary with a number of factors including energy needs, race, and intake of sodium 5
- Blacks have a greater decrease in blood pressure than Caucasians with an equal potassium intake 4
- If the dietary sodium chloride intake is high, there is a greater blood pressure reduction with an increased intake of dietary potassium 4
Dietary Sources of Potassium
- Potatoes are the highest source of dietary potassium, but the addition of salt should be limited 6
- Consumption of white vegetables is associated with decreased risk of stroke, possibly related to their high potassium content 6
- Fruits and vegetables are considered heart-healthy nutrients with high fiber, high anti-oxidant vitamins, and high alkali content, and are a good source of potassium 3, 7