mineral
Potassium
An essential electrolyte mineral critical for maintaining fluid balance, nerve impulse transmission, muscle contractions (including heart rhythm), and blood pressure regulation.
What it’s good for
Potassium for High Blood Pressure
Strong3 studies · 3 supporting · 0 against
7 safety notes
Helps your kidneys clear excess sodium, and relaxes blood vessel walls.
Dose: 99–200 mg
Potassium for Muscle Cramps
Not verified1 study · 0 supporting · 1 against
7 safety notes
Why it gets suggested: Muscle cells need potassium to hold their electrical charge steady. Low potassium makes them fire too easily.
Dose: 99–200 mg
Why we could not verify it: No qualifying RCT was found that administered a potassium supplement to humans and measured muscle cramp outcomes. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 electrolyte-supplementation RCTs for muscle pain syndromes (published in 2026, ScienceDirect) found no eligible trials of potassium supplementation in isolation for cramp or myalgia outcomes; the 10 included trials all studied magnesium. A Cochrane-style search for nocturnal leg cramp RCTs returned trials of magnesium, vitamin K2, and quinine — none of potassium. A search for exercise-induced cramps returned RCTs testing pickle juice and cramp-reduction approaches but again no potassium supplementation arms. The claim we current