If you are addicted to oranges and eat one after another, be careful of hyperkalemia. This group of people should be especially vigilant!

In winter, what is the protagonist among fruits?

It must be tangerines, oranges, and tribute oranges.

Especially the sugar orange

Many people want to show off a basket of

I can't stop at all

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However, recent reports say

Some people have hyperkalemia after eating oranges

Almost life-threatening

Image source: Internet screenshot

Does the orange in your hand suddenly lose its fragrance?

What is going on?

This matter needs to be explained

Let us first understand what hyperkalemia is.

First of all, we need to know that the human body needs the element "potassium". We need various ways to ingest potassium. Many fruits are rich in potassium, such as bananas, oranges, etc.

Potassium is required for the beating of the heart, rhythm, muscle contraction, and nerve activity. Under normal circumstances, the serum potassium concentration is maintained at 3.5-5.5 mmol/L (the range of laboratory test indicators in each hospital is slightly different), and the human body will excrete excess potassium through metabolism.

However, if the body is unable to excrete excess potassium , eating a large amount of potassium-rich foods at this time may lead to an imbalance of potassium ions in the body, thereby causing hyperkalemia.

Don't underestimate this disease, it can have serious effects on many aspects of the human body:

Muscles: Muscle tremors and paresthesias of the hands and feet may occur. In severe cases, muscle weakness or even flaccid paralysis may occur. In the early stage, elevated blood potassium may not cause any symptoms.

To the heart: can cause arrhythmia or even cardiac arrest;

Gastrointestinal effects: Increased release of acetylcholine, which can cause nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Although it sounds a bit scary, in fact, not everyone needs to worry about hyperkalemia.

As mentioned earlier, the premise of hyperkalemia is that the body cannot excrete excess potassium normally.

So, which group of people are prone to this situation?

The answer is people with poor kidneys.

Please note that the bad kidneys mentioned here do not mean kidney deficiency, but refers to renal insufficiency caused by factors such as nephritis, renal tuberculosis, kidney tumors, uremia, congenital kidney disease , etc. You need to refer to the doctor's diagnosis for specific details.

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This group of people has certain obstacles in excreting potassium, so they need to be careful when eating oranges.

Although the potassium content of every 100 grams of oranges is not much, about 181 mg, many people can't stop eating sugar oranges and tribute oranges. Such large intake can easily cause increased blood potassium.

In addition, in addition to patients with kidney disease, patients with heart failure may also develop hyperkalemia due to excessive potassium supplementation because they receive potassium supplementation treatment, so they also need to be vigilant.

As for healthy people, eating oranges generally does not cause hyperkalemia, so you can eat them without worrying about it. At most, you should worry that oranges are rich in carotene, and eating too much will cause your skin to turn yellow.

Patients with renal insufficiency need to dynamically monitor changes in blood potassium. If it is too high, they need to limit their intake of potassium-containing foods. Under this requirement, which fruits should be eaten with caution and which fruits can be eaten with confidence?

Fruits high in potassium include:

Longan, raisins, Miyun dates, dried apricots, avocado, coconut, fresh dates, sea buckthorn, persimmon, jackfruit, plantain, black currant, hawthorn, banana, guava, pomegranate, apricot, etc.

Fruits lower in potassium include:

Papaya, olive, mulberry, pear, tangerine, apple, watermelon, sour jujube, ginseng fruit, grape, pineapple, loquat, strawberry, mango, kiwi, etc.

However, even if you eat fruits with relatively low potassium content, remember not to eat them in large quantities! Otherwise, you may end up in the hospital after eating oranges as reported in the news.

Here are two tips for removing potassium:

(1) Cut vegetables and blanch them in hot water for a while before cooking;

(2) Cut the fruit into small pieces and soak them for a while before eating.

Both methods can reduce potassium by about 1/3 to 1/2.

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In addition, try not to eat or eat less vegetable soup, broth, tea, coffee, and low-sodium salt that uses potassium instead of sodium .

Statement: This article is a medical-related educational popular science article. It does not involve specific treatment methods or medical behaviors and cannot replace hospital visits.

Experts collaborating on this article

References

[1] Liu Fangfang, Lou Xiaoping, Wang Wenjiao, et al. Study on the effect of risk grading management on patients with hyperkalemia in chronic kidney disease[J]. Chinese Journal of Blood Purification, 2023, 22(06): 467-471.

[2] Xie Qionghong, Hao Chuanming. Renal regulation of potassium balance and its clinical significance[J]. Acta Physiologica Sinica, 2023, 75(02): 216-230. DOI: 10.13294/j.aps.2023.0026

[3] Luo Peiyi, Ma Liang, Gou Shenju. Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of hyperkalemia with risk factors[J]. Chinese Journal of General Practice, 2022, 25(36): 4587-4594.

[4] Yan Senhui, Jiang Hongli. Influencing factors and hazards of hyperkalemia in hemodialysis patients[J]. Chinese Journal of Blood Purification, 2022, 21(03): 149-152.

Content Production

Editor: Zhang Fuyao

Map: Eastern Zhou Dynasty