From the lab Peter Lester of Quantum Laboratories

Many years ago, I visited a family in Minnesota and found all their cooking was conducted using potassium salts as opposed to common sodium salts.

The dear lady of the house asked me to comment, which I did, much to my amazement my comment was not well accepted; that is, until I explained why I thought she was putting her family at risk.

The fact that potassium salts are called salts, in no way can they be replaced by sodium. They are both found to be required at similar sites in metabolism, however, their functions are opposing.

Potassium controls the fluids within the cell and sodium controls the fluids outside the cell. They both function together and are required for osmosis. Sodium is the major cation in the body's acid-base balance and for the osmosis which controls the transfer of nutrients to the cells and the removal of waste materials and the maintenance of the water balance in tissues.

Sodium
Sodium is a constituent of pancreatic juice, bile, sweat and tears. It is associated with nerve functions, and plays a specific role in the absorption of carbohydrates.

Deficiency symptoms include loss of appetite, reduced growth and a marked reduction in feed efficiency and utilisation in growing animals. Reduced milk production (cows should have access to sodium daily or their milk flow will be reduced) plus weight loss, infertility in males, and delayed sexual maturity in females.

Animals craving sodium will be seen to drink urine of other animals. This element may be toxic when a high intake is associated with water restrictions. Excess sodium will result in hypertension as the fast food industry has worked out; they put the pop chiller right beside the fish and chip counter. Your taste buds cense a high sodium intake and this creates a craving for fluid. The fluid intake is required to dilute the concentration of potassium outside the cell, if this concentration is not diluted, self toxemia will result and you will die of saline poisoning.

Potassium
This element is contiguously aligned with sodium, but in no way can it supplement it. These two elements must be kept in balance, a large intake of potassium may slow the heart to a standstill, and this is termed potassium inhibition. Excessive potassium will interfere with the animal's magnesium absorption and many tetany problems are magnified when potassium is consumed in excess. Potassium is lost when sodium is fed in excess.

Misconception
Ironically, our pastures are very high in this element and its concentration has been misinterpreted as being due to high levels in the soils in which our feed are grown; this is not the case. The high level of potassium found in plant tissue is due to a cation imbalance in the soil. The atomic weight of potassium is almost the same as calcium, calcium has an atomic weight of 40 and the atomic weight of potassium is 39, almost identical! Their valance electron charge is where they differ though; calcium is a dibasic cation whereas potassium is monobasic. That means potassium is poorly held to the surface of the soil particles and calcium is held tenaciously. As the plant feeds, hydrogen is exchanged and the weakest held are first displaced, this is why we find potassium concentrates the plant tissue in abundance, not because its concentration is greater.

In fact, high levels of potassium will be found in plants even when the concentration in the soil is low. Balance the soil cation ratios and the levels of K in the plant will fall, even when K is applied to balance the ratios.

The ratio of potassium to calcium, while critical, is no less critical than their ratios to magnesium – sodium – phosphorus or any other element. These nutrient ratios have been well established and equally as well documented along with the levels of protein and energy.