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Modified Calcium and Potassium Diets

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Modified Calcium and Potassium Diets

Morgan Tilley

West Coast University NURS211L

The mineral that is the most plentiful in the body is calcium. It is mainly found in bones and teeth but also in plasma and other fluids within the body. Calcium plays an important role in blood clotting, nerve transmission, muscle contraction and relaxation, cell membrane permeability and the activation of certain enzymes, along with protecting against colorectal cancer. The intake of calcium or dairy products is associated with lower blood pressures, controlling body weight and obesity.
Potassium in the human body is largely located in the cells as the major cation of the intracellular fluid. There is also a small amount of potassium in the …show more content…

Although medications are very effective, lifestyle and dietary changes can help treat or prevent high blood pressure more effectively.
Potassium works with sodium to regulate the body’s water balance. The kidneys help to control the blood pressure by controlling the amount of fluid stored in the body. Therefore, the more fluid then the higher the blood pressure is. The kidneys do this by filtering out the blood and extracting any extra fluid, which then is stored in the bladder as urine. This is done very delicately as both sodium and potassium pull the water across the wall of the cells from the bloodstream into a collecting channel that leads to the bladder. When eating to much salt, the amount of sodium in the bloodstream will be imbalanced compared to the amount of potassium and thus reducing the ability of the kidneys remove the extra fluid. Eating more fruit and vegetables, the potassium levels increase and can help restore the chemical imbalance. However, there is a possibility of too much potassium, also known as hyperkalemia, which can lead to other issues like renal failure.
Calcium can sometimes act like a natural diuretic, helping the kidneys release sodium and water. Also, when calcium levels in the blood drop, parathyroid hormone (PTH) is released, which causes calcium to be released from the bones to increase calcium blood levels and PTH can raise blood pressure. Scientists are still trying to figure out how and why, but

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