Know your Potassium. Know your health.
Test your Potassium and 100+ other biomarkers in a single blood draw.
Normal range: 3.5 – 5 mmol/L (higher is better)
Potassium is the main electrolyte inside your cells and is critical for heart rhythm, muscle function, and nerve signaling. Both high and low potassium can cause dangerous cardiac arrhythmias, which is why your body regulates it carefully through the kidneys. Of all the electrolytes, potassium is the one most affected by common medications.
A normal Potassium is 3.5 – 5 mmol/L. Higher is better.
Low potassium (hypokalemia) is commonly caused by diuretics (especially thiazide and loop diuretics), vomiting, diarrhea, excess sweating, and low dietary intake. Chronic laxative abuse and excess licorice consumption are underappreciated causes. Insulin and albuterol (asthma inhalers) can shift potassium into cells temporarily.
High potassium (hyperkalemia) is most often caused by kidney disease (impaired excretion), ACE inhibitors, ARBs, potassium-sparing diuretics (like spironolactone), or potassium supplements. Hemolysis during the blood draw can falsely elevate the result, which is a common lab artifact.
Eating potassium-rich foods (bananas, potatoes, spinach, avocados) helps prevent low levels, especially if you take diuretics. If you have kidney disease, you may need to limit potassium-rich foods instead. Talk to your doctor before taking potassium supplements, as too much can be just as dangerous as too little.
Potassium is most highly correlated with BUN and Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate. Here are the top biomarkers correlated with Potassium, based on 500,000 tests done by Empirical Health.
The percentage shows how strongly two biomarkers move together. A higher number means the relationship is stronger. Green = rises and falls together. Orange = one rises as the other falls.
You can test your Potassium for $190 as part of Empirical's comprehensive health panel, which includes 100 biomarkers.
You can measure your Potassium for at 2,200+ testing locations across the US. Click below and enter your zip code to browse locations near you.
Test your Potassium and 100+ other biomarkers in a single blood draw.