The soft, silvery-white metal known as potassium plays a greater role in human health than perhaps any other mineral except sodium. Consider that one-fourth of the body’s entire energy output goes toward regulating the balance of potassium with sodium, by means of what scientist and doctors refer to as the sodium-potassium pump.
This pump keeps sodium levels high in the bloodstream but low in the cell, and potassium levels high in the cell but low in the bloodstream. The differences in concentration between potassium enable cell membranes to function properly, so that the body’s cells can in turn perform their proper roles. Any significant failure in this pumping mechanism would result in serious illness or death.