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Potassium Requirement Calculator

Work out potassium requirement instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Potassium Requirement Calculator

Applies the potassium adequate intake of 3,400 mg for men and 2,600 mg for women, and converts any gap into banana equivalents at 422 mg each.

Formula

Potassium adequate intake

3,400 mg/day for men and 2,600 mg/day for women; one medium banana supplies about 422 mg

Worked example

With the default values below, Potassium Requirement Calculator returns Adequate intake of 3,400. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Sexone of Male, Female
Male
Current potassium intakeaccepts 0–8,000 mg
2,400 mg

Results

Adequate intake
3,400 mg/day
Shortfall
1,000 mg/day
Bananas needed to close the gap
2.37
Share of the adequate intake met
70.6%

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Potassium adequate intake
  3. 3Adequate intake= 3,400 mg/day
  4. 4Shortfall= 1,000 mg/day
  5. 5Bananas needed to close the gap= 2.37
  6. 6Share of the adequate intake met= 70.6

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 2 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
  • Educational estimate only. Not a substitute for professional clinical judgement, and must not be used to make treatment or dosing decisions.
  • This is an estimate for general information and not professional medical advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Educational estimate only. Not a substitute for professional clinical judgement, and must not be used to make treatment or dosing decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an upper limit?

No upper limit is set for dietary potassium in healthy people, but supplements and salt substitutes are dangerous in kidney disease.

Why does potassium matter for blood pressure?

Higher intakes promote sodium excretion and vasodilation, lowering systolic pressure by several mmHg.

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