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Potassium Citrate for Kidney Stone Prevention and Treatment
The amount of potassium citrate used in the medical industry is likely to increase as the world’s temperature increases. If this seems like a strange claim, read the information below brought to you by USP ingredient supplier Bell Chem.
The human body maintains a level of homeostasis where the average pH correlates to approximately 7.4. This number places the body in a slightly basic level. If the amount drops below a pH of 7, the condition is considered acidic.
Many kidney diseases are brought on by a lowered pH, including renal tubular acidosis, gout brought on by high uric acid levels, and varied types of kidney stones.
Acidic levels decrease with the introduction of the urinary alkalinizer potassium citrate (generally taken orally as an extended-release tablet), thereby not only alleviating existing gout and kidney problems, but also preventing these anomalies.
Climate change and potassium citrate increase
As the world warms, people perspire more frequently. Perspiration cools the human body and works effectively if the levels of water released are replenished. However, water is not always close at hand for many, and dehydration leads to many complications in the human body. One of these is an increase in the amount of kidney stones created and passed.
For those who have suffered through the agony of passing a kidney stone, an important preventative that cuts the likelihood of recurrence in half is simply drinking water. A few liters of water daily keep the body from becoming overly acidic by diluting the blood, which prevents the formation of all 4 types of kidney stones: calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate stones, cystine stones, struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) stones, and uric acid stones.
Calcium stones are the most common and are related to a concentration of calcium in the urine, which crystallizes into stones; cystine stones lead to cystinuria, a rare genetic disorder; struvite stones are the result of one of several bacterial infections; and uric acid stones contribute to the disease uric acid lithiasis.
Kidney stones, a common affliction
Currently 9% of United States adults suffer from kidney stones (nephrolithiasis) at least once during their lives. Depending on the type of kidney stones, methods of control or prevention may include the addition of calcium in the diet, controlling the formation of stones with potassium citrate, or increasing water intake. Hospitals and clinics should keep potassium citrate close at hand for their patients who are in the grips of nephrolithiasis or likely to pass kidney stones again.
Bell Chem is an USP ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including potassium citrate. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.
Potassium Citrate in Food Production
Many food preservatives also perform the role of a flavor enhancer, but not many can also claim to be a dietary supplement. To that end, food ingredient supplier Bell Chem introduces potassium citrate, which fills all three roles and more simultaneously.
Potassium citrate — or, more specifically, tripotassium citrate — is added to foods and beverages as either a white granulated powder or in clear crystal form. Created from the union of potassium salt and citric acid, potassium citrate is alkaline and odorless with a tangy citrus flavor.
Flavor Enhancer
The pungent flavor associated with citrus fruits marks potassium citrate’s enhancement when added to carbonated beverages or powders. Diet beverages often require a buffer to offset the tart flavor associated with sugar substitutes. In drinks containing sucrose or high fructose corn syrup, the tartness is overcome with a sweet taste. Since low- or no-calorie beverages do not contain these products, the metallic artificial flavor must be balanced with another flavor. This is where potassium citrate shines.
Dietary Supplement
Unlike sodium, which is another mineral paired with citrate, potassium has been proven to be favorable to renal performance. Because potassium is a cation, it affects the heart and other muscles. Many sports drinks contain potassium for this reason, and the addition of potassium citrate not only improves flavor; it also adds vitamin C.
pH adjuster
Foods or beverages in the acidic range become more stabilized with the addition of alkaline potassium citrate. When potassium citrate is added to a product with a neutral pH, its normal alkalinity prevents microbial growth, thereby extending product shelf life.
Emulsifier
Many foods, such as cheese or dressings, contain combinations of oil and water. Potassium citrate delivers consistent mouthfeel to every bite by distributing oil throughout the products in which they are added.
Chelator and Sequestrant
Potassium citrate binds heavy metals, which prevents fat oxidation. When fat is not able to oxidize, food stabilizes and shelf life is extended.
Bell Chem is a food ingredient supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including CSANTM sanitation products. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.
Medical Uses of Potassium Citrate
When potassium bicarbonate and a solution of citric acid are combined, an effervescent action occurs due to an acid/base reaction. The resulting salt that forms when the acid and base are evaporated is potassium citrate. This salt has proven quite valuable to the medical industry; doctors have been treating patients with kidney stones for years with a supplement of potassium citrate. Tampa chemical supplier, Bell Chem, explains why potassium citrate is the prescription of choice for patients with kidney stones and other urinary tract disorders.
Patients who suffer from kidney stones often take thiazide to manage kidney stones. The thiazide depletes the body of potassium; potassium citrate replaces this lost mineral.
Patients whose urine is highly acidic experience intense pain when urinating. Potassium citrate neutralizes the acid content in urine, thereby relieving much of the discomfort while reducing the frequency of urination.
Uric acid and cysteine are prevalent in the human body.Too much of either can lead to kidney stones (urinary calculi), uric acid, cysteine, or calcium stones. A regimen containing potassium citrate regulates acidity and keeps the body in homeostasis. In a recent study, the use of potassium citrate reduced the amount of kidney stones by 75%; this supplement attaches to calcium and keeps individual crystals from adhering to each other and forming painfully large mineral crystals.
Calcium stones are formed when too little citrate is in the urine. Potassium citrate prevents this occurrence.
In patients who are chronically hypokalemic, potassium citrate is administered to treat and manage gout and heart arrhythmias.
Cystitis (urinary tract infection) may be treated with potassium citrate, at which time it acts as an alkalizing agent.
For the prevention of kidney stones and other urinary tract related disorders, the administration of potassium citrate may relieve or prevent all these disorders. For questions about potassium citrate, or any of our other products, call Tampa chemical supplier Bell Chem at 407-339-BELL (2355) or you can contact us online.
Potassium Citrate – Its Medical & Industrial Uses
Potassium is a mineral found in many foods that helps regulate various functions of your body, especially the beating of your heart. Potassium citrate, a potassium salt of citric acid, has a number of medical and industrial uses. This chemical exists as a white, powdery, odorless substance with a slightly salty taste. Medically, potassium citrate can be used to cure kidney stones because it helps to break up the stones into small enough pieces to be able to pass safely through the urine. For cats and dogs with highly acidic urine, potassium citrate can be administered through the mouth to relieve the discomfort and infection that accompanies this condition. Usually, the potassium citrate is diluted in water and then administered orally.
In foods and beverages, potassium citrate is used as a buffering agent. This chemical can help adjust the pH levels in items like soft drinks, so that they have the correct pH level. In addition, potassium citrate is commonly used as a flavor enhancer, particularly for processed foods and commercially available citrus beverages.
Potassium citrate also helps with muscle contractions, such as cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscles. It is believed to maintain healthy cells and normal blood pressure, as well as produce energy.
At our Orlando chemical supply company, potassium citrate is just one of the many chemical products we offer. In addition to nutritional chemical products and USP ingredients, we stock many hard to find tech-grade chemicals and custom compounds. Call us at 407-339-BELL (2355) for a full list of our chemical products.
Potassium Citrate
Potassium is a mineral found in many foods and is needed for several parts of your body to function, especially your heart. Potassium citrate is a potassium salt of citric acid. It is a white powder with the ability to attract and hold small amounts of water. Potassium citrate has no smell, but tastes salty. There are a few common uses for potassium citrate, one of the uses being as a food additive. Potassium citrate is used to regulate the acidity in foods. It is frequently used in sodas as a buffering agent, to keep the acidity of the soda at a specified pH level.
This chemical product is also used in medicine to control kidney stones, specifically to treat a kidney stone condition called renal tubular acidosis. Your kidneys normally regulate your body's pH by removing acids from the blood and disposing them in the urine. Renal tubular acidosis is caused by a defect in the kidney tubes that causes acid to build up in the bloodstream. Therefore, potassium citrate is used to regulate the acidity levels in the patient’s body.
As a leading chemical supply company in Orlando, Bell Chem offers fast delivery of any of our hundreds of chemicals. Potassium Citrate is just one of the many chemical products we offer at Bell Chem. We also stock a wide variety of food/reagent grade, personal care, nutritional, and water treatment products. Give us a call today at 407-339-BELL (2355) to learn more about our chemical products.