4 ms·
Any biochemists here who want to speculate about potential mechanisms? I can't help thinking about the connection between potassium and insulin -- insulin push
by cperciva 4y ago
Any biochemists here who want to speculate about potential mechanisms? I can't help thinking about the connection between potassium and insulin -- insulin pushes potassium into cells, to the extent that insulin is the standard treatment for hyperkalemia -- but I can't see how that would result in changes in appetite (which I assume is responsible for the weight loss here).
- fbdab103 4y agoI have a long expired biochemistry degree, but I think the only answer you are likely to find is wild conjecture. Potassium is common in natural food sources, maintained at a fairly steady concentration, and has not previously received much attention as a potential weight loss treatment. If you follow the authors, they are pushing a Lithium hypothesis where lithium is tilting the lipostatic equilibrium towards more fat. Potassium is supposedly able to compete with lithium in the brain and reset the body baseline towards a slimmer build. I have no idea if the theory is correct, but it is more compelling than a lot of the standard hog wash you find. If nothing else, I hope these results push for some more standardized testing: easy enough to pump potassium into a colony of obese mice models.