Potassium and Muscle Cramps
Intro:
Have you ever wondered what specific actions and foods trigger muscle cramps? Are there certain foods to prevent muscle cramps from happening? One overlooked mineral that helps reduce the likelihood of these cramps is potassium, which is found in a variety of foods.
What are muscle cramps?
Muscle cramps are involuntary contractions that can occur at any time, interrupting a workout or game in the blink of an eye. Muscle cramps can target any part of the body but can mainly target the lower extremities such as the calves or foot muscles.
What triggers a muscle cramp?
Heat, dehydration, and improper stretching during the warmups can increase an athlete's chances of getting cramps/getting worse muscle cramps than before.
Some of the worst foods to eat for muscle cramps:
Red meats
Refined carbs such as white bread, rice, pasta
Some vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers
Dairy foods (especially milk)
Drink less caffeine
Drink less alcohol
Eggs
Salt
Processed foods like baked goods, cakes, or crisps
Best foods to eat for muscle cramps:
Oily fish like salmon, tuna, herring, sardines, and anchovies
Wholegrains such as oats, brown rice, wheat bread
Legumes like beans and kidney beans
Greeny root vegetables such as kale, and spinach, cruciferous veggies also like broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts
Exotic fruits such as pineapple, papaya, and mango
Plant-based, dairy-free products
Fresh herbs and spices such as thyme, oregano, parsley, and rosemary
Drink more water
Bananas
What is potassium?
Potassium is a mineral that every cell in the body needs to fully operate. It helps just about your whole body work right, including your brain, nerves, kidneys, heart, and a variety of other different muscles. Potassium is an electrolyte, like calcium, sodium, and others. They manage how much water is in your body, help your body's electrical system, move nutrients into your cells, and take waste out. Potassium also puts sodium in check, which can benefit your blood pressure, among other things.
How your heart and other muscles:
Your muscles need the right balance of potassium inside their cells and sodium outside of them. When the balance gets out of whack, it makes it harder for your muscles to continue to work. Potassium is involved in electrical signals sent by muscles. It lets them contract properly. If you’re low on potassium this will then lead to muscle cramps and weakness in that targeted area.
Digestive problems associated with hypokalemia:
While digestive problems have many causes, they may occur with hypokalemia (low potassium). Potassium helps relay signals from your brain muscle to muscles located in your digestive system known as smooth muscle. These signals can stimulate contractions that help your digestive system churn and propel food, so it can be digested. With low potassium levels contractions in the digestive system may become weaker and slow the movement of food. This could cause digestive problems, like constipation and bloating.
Conclusion:
The foods you put in your body can affect numerous things as they can affect whether or not you get cramps in certain parts of the body. It's important to take care of your health as everything you put in your body affects it and can weaken or improve it.
Sources:
“Preventing Muscle Cramps in Kids and Teens.” Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, www.choa.org/parent-resources/sports-medicine/how-to-prevent-muscle-cramps-in-kids#:~:text=Heat%2C%20 dehydration%20and%20 improper%20 stretching,muscle%20 cramp%20before%20it%20 starts. Accessed 5 Feb. 2024.
Baillie, Louise. “Foods That Can Make Muscle and Joint Pain Worse!” The Foods That Can Make Muscle Pain Worse, 8 Feb. 2021, www.avogel.co.uk/health/muscles-joints/foods-that-make-muscle-and-joint-pain-worse/.
“What Potassium Does for Your Body.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/story/potassium-and-your-body. Accessed 5 Feb. 2024.
Kubala, Jillian. “12 Foods That May Help with Muscle Cramps.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 14 Feb. 2023, www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-that-help-with-muscle-cramps.
Mary. “10 Foods to Stop Muscle Cramps - Warner Orthopedics & Wellness.” Warner Orthopedics, 1 Mar. 2023, warnerorthopedics.com/10-foods-muscle-cramps/.