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17020225 tn?1455753197

Low potassium and vitamin d

I have had my blood checked several times in the last 6 months and every time my vitamin d and potassium seem to be low or at the lowest number in the range. Yesterday my potassium was 3.3 the range was 3.5-5. My vitamin d was at 17 out of 30-100 back in November. The doctor gave me supplements and it came up but still was at the very bottom of the range. I've also been having gastrointestinal issues for a while( gerd, excessive gas) . Had a colonoscopy and endoscopy which were both normal. I have a thyroid goiter with abnormal texture and a nodule. I'll be seeing an endocrinologist in may.
I eat foods with vitamin d and potassium. Bananas, potatoes, milk, vegetables, fruit, chicken.
Is there anything known to cause both vitamin d deficiency and low potassium even if your getting both from the foods you eat.
22 Responses
Avatar universal
Sounds like you're having absorption issues.

You could try 1 teaspoon Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar in a glass of water 1-3x daily before meals to help work with stomach issues.

Try Vitamin D topically. They have cream or you can open a soft gel capsule and rub the contents onto your skin (on areas covered with clothing so the sun rays aren't degrading it).

Try magnesium topically. They have magnesium oil. It can sting. You can dilute it with more water. Spray on skin (not delicate or freshly shaven areas). Magnesium bath flakes in a foot bath to soak feel and absorb magnesium.

Avatar universal
Unless your milk is fortified with Vitamin D it isn't in there.  D is gotten mostly by being in the sun at peak hours.  Vitamin D supplements only work if they're natural Vitamin D3, and often doctors don't know the difference.  Since you do seem to be eating foods with potassium, a question would be, what's the balance of foods you're eating?  Potassium is an electrolyte in balance with other electrolytes such as calcium and magnesium and zinc -- too much of any of them can leach out the others.  Milk is a classic leacher, as it's very high in calcium but deficient in magnesium.  People who eat a lot of dairy often find themselves low in magnesium because of this.  More balanced foods are the green leafy vegetables.  And the above comment is correct, you could have absorption issues.  
Avatar universal
D3 it sticks around longer in the body, which is exactly what you want.
A normal result is anywhere between 16 and 74 ng/mL. But you should aim to keep yours above 30 (and as close to 50 as you can if breast, colon, or prostate cancer happen to run in your family).
I also suggest you try to soak up some sun! (unless,you burn easily).
Bare face and arms outdoors for about 20 minutes, three times week.
vitamin K at least 100 micrograms a day. And magnesium, too at least 400 milligrams a day (make sure your calcium supplement has
at least half as much magnesium as calcium). Look for citrate, orotate, malate, and glycinate forms of this mineral, which are better absorbed. Zinc, manganese, silicon, boron, and potassium are also important which  explains why a diet high in vegetables is better bone health.
I also suggest fermented Soy That would be like tempeh and miso.
Don't be buying processed soy products the kind found in the form of powders and other fake soy-based foods.

Even though the recommended daily amount of calcium in this country is 1,200 mg, this is not well supported by science. In fact, most people are probably fine with just 600 to 800 mg of calcium a day from supplements. This is the standard you’ll find in Great Britain after examining the same data used by U.S. advisers, their authorities came up with a daily recommendation of only 700 mg a day.
Does the dairy industry have the same hold on the people of England?
I think not!
Over 80 percent of the world is actually unable to digest dairy products.
Most milk in this country comes from cows that have been pumped full of hormones and antibiotics.
Avatar universal
Gym, is that really you?  Recommending soy and dissing dairy?  Have we switched personalities?
Avatar universal
By the way, tempeh and miso are highly processed foods, and some miso products are in powder form.  If you've ever seen tempeh or miso, they don't look much like a soy bean, if you've ever seen a fresh soy bean (a fresh soy bean is green and round and comes in a pod like any other bean and can be eaten that way).  It's not whether a food is processed or not, it's whether the processing produces a healthful food or not and whether unhealthful additives are present.  There are miso and tempeh products that are not healthful, and miso and tempeh aren't just things -- there are hundreds of different types of miso and they have different properties and taste and levels of benefit, and many types of tempeh.  Most miso and most tempeh are combined with grains before fermentation, and I would assume that would eliminate it from your "paleo" diet.
Avatar universal
I only suggest fermented! Non-fermented soy also contain substances like
Goitrogens, that can block or reduce the production of thyroid hormones.
Phytic Acid, binds with minerals in your body and removes them.
Oxalic Acids, cause inflammation and can prevent the absorption of calcium.
Enzyme Inhibitors, block the body's natural enzymes to break down food into nutrients that can be assimilated.
The fermentation breaks down enzyme inhibitors, produces phytase which neutralizes phytic acid, and decreases the goitrogenic properties of soy. Most  Asian soy recipes involve fermentation.
Miso is made by fermenting soybeans with  koji bacteria.
Tempeh Is soybeans that's are fermented with a type of fungus.
Natto is a traditional staple of the Japanese diet fermented with the Mitoku natto spores and is often eaten at breakfast. It is very high in protein, vitamins, and minerals, especially vitamin K.
Natto is made with  Nattomoto Powder (Natto Spores).
I'm talking about soy source.

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363281 tn?1518219421
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