Potassium is a mineral that is essential for your body.
Potassium has many important functions:
Having the right amount of potassium helps:
Your kidneys control potassium levels in your body and get rid of excess potassium in urine (wee).
If your kidneys do not work properly, potassium may build up in your blood. This can be very dangerous — it may cause your heart to beat irregularly or stop beating (cardiac arrest).
Potassium comes from your diet. Some foods are especially high in potassium, such as:
You can read more about foods high in potassium.
You can also get potassium from vitamin supplements.
Most healthy people get enough potassium through their diet.
How much potassium you need depends on:
| Stage of Life | Recommended dietary intake* of potassium (milligrams per day) |
|---|---|
| 0-6 months | 400 |
| 7-12 months | 700 |
| 1-3 years | 2,000 |
| 4-8 years | 2,300 |
| 9-13 years males | 3,000 |
| 9-13 years females | 2,500 |
| 14-18 years males | 3,600 |
| 14-18 years females | 2,600 |
| Adult males | 3,800 |
| Adult females | 2,800 |
| During pregnancy | 2,800 |
| While breastfeeding | 3,200 |
Babies under 12 months can get all the potassium they need from breast milk, formula (Opens in new tab) and food.
The amount of potassium your body needs is affected by:
An imbalance of potassium can lead to health problems.
Because having too much potassium can affect your health, only take a potassium supplement if your doctor prescribes one.
Low potassium (hypokalaemia) can lead to symptoms including:
It can also lead to metabolic acidosis, which can affect your bones.
There are many causes of hypokalaemia. Common causes include taking diuretic medicines and dehydration that may happen due to:
Hypokalaemia is not common. Occasionally, people may have low potassium because they don't eat enough foods that are high in potassium.
Read more on potassium deficiency.
High potassium (hyperkalaemia) is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition.
Hyperkalaemia has many possible causes. Most commonly, it is caused by kidney disease or taking medicines that lower the amount of potassium your kidneys remove from the body.
Potassium is also an ingredient used in some salt substitutes — talk to your doctor before using these.
If you have a higher chance of hyperkalaemia, you may need to limit the amount of potassium in your diet.
Hyperkalaemia can cause problems with your digestive system and cardiovascular system.
If you have unusually high levels of potassium, you may:
If you have heart palpitations, seek urgent medical advice. This can be a sign of an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), which can lead to cardiac arrest.
If you have these symptoms and believe your potassium levels might be high, call your doctor immediately. They can check your potassium levels with a blood test.
Your doctor might discover you have high potassium through blood tests you had to explain or monitor another condition.
Eat for Health (Opens in new tab) uses the Australian dietary guidelines to provide advice about the amount and types of food you need. This includes information on how much potassium you need (Opens in new tab).
If you have kidney disease, learn how much potassium to include in your diet by visiting Kidney Health Australia (Opens in new tab).
You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Last reviewed: April 2025
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