Conversation with AI about potassium in blood sugar management

[LucH]

Conversation with AI about potassium in blood sugar management
Introduction (info from an endocrinology therapist) (1)
The relationship between potassium and insulin is fundamental to the regulation of blood glucose. Potassium is essential for the release of insulin by the pancreas, while insulin, in turn, facilitates the entry of potassium into cells. Repeated potassium deficiency can impair insulin secretion, leading to glucose intolerance.
Potassium is normally stored in a higher level in the intracellular fluid (inside the cell), but when there is too much glucose outside the cells (high blood sugar), potassium leaves the cell, increasing blood potassium levels. Insulin will then intervenes to allow glucose to enter the cell in order to restore potassium homeostasis, resulting in a loss and decrease in potassium levels.
People with low potassium levels secrete less insulin, leading to hyperglycemia and increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. When administering insulin, it is essential that healthcare professionals monitor potassium levels.
Source: 1) ucfhealth-com, endocrinology, the-relationship-between-potassium-and-diabetes

Picture: A potassium intake to avoid an "open bar" means that a significant intake of glucose, without adequate potassium, will leave glucose unused (in the blood) / on the train station platform. The pancreas will try to compensate by secreting more insulin to facilitate the entry of fuel into the cells.

[LucH]

Context 1
I contacted Gemini 3 to obtain a report on the usefulness of potassium in blood glucose management. The response was unconcise and irrelevant, with a "mainstream" focus on excess sodium. I decided to abandon the matter there (the response was evasive and too focused on acid-base balance).
Context 2
We are not focusing on the sodium/potassium imbalance simply because 50% of Americans consume processed foods containing 20g of sodium.
We will base our approach on a Mediterranean diet, with fruits and vegetables providing 30g of fiber and between 6 and 10g of sodium. We are disregarding the health authorities' recommendations of 2.4 g of sodium, which are completely outdated.
NB: To catch the level of salt: 1 g of sodium x 2.54 = 2.5 g of salt. One gram of salt contains thus approximatively 0.4 g of sodium and 0.6 g of chloride.

Request 1
The aim is to highlight the relationship between potassium and insulin, rather than focusing on the effects of excessive salt intake. To reiterate: We are not targeting sodium as the root cause of all problems, nor are we delving into electrolyte balance and the sodium-potassium pump. I am familiar with all of this. We are concentrating on the importance of electrolyte balance (general overview; no details), highlighting the benefits of potassium, within a diet containing 60% carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, and meat) and 30g of fiber.
Relation entre potassium et insuline (Link between potassium and insulin)
https://mirzoune-ciboulette.forumactif.org/t1822-relation-entre-potassium-et-insuline#24918

Excerpt:
Potassium metabolism has an important link with carbohydrate metabolism and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system via a double feedback mechanism. Due to its potential effects on blood pressure control, plasma potassium levels represent a link between insulin and blood pressure in humans.
Also: Potassium increases / facilitates the activity of the Na+-K+-ATPase pump (regulated by the kidneys), optimizing blood glucose management and subsequently promoting energy levels. (6)
Put even more simply: Potassium acts as a mediator / interface in several metabolic processes, with a feedback system (control with feedback). We are far from understanding everything in detail. We are simply observing. (…) Finally, in people with low magnesium levels, the risk of experiencing electrolyte imbalances is very real.

Request 2
What nutrients should I monitor to help manage insulin sensitivity? Not by specifying what should be avoided, such as excess PUFAs or altered LDL fatty acids (oxLDL) and excess saturated fatty acids (SFAs), and additives in processed foods. I know.
For example, chromium picolinate, Chinese cinnamon extract (or a maximum of 5g of ground cinnamon), berberine (an alternative to metformin, which only postpones the problem for about 10 years). Be mindful of the cumulative effect on liver enzymes (Cyp450). Vitamin C, as a preventative measure, should be taken in 2 to 3 doses, each containing 250mg of L-ascorbic acid powder (1/16th of a teaspoon, Scottish certified).
Observation
Your breakfast will impact how your insulin secretion is managed for the rest of the day.

Sources et Références :

1. The Link between Diabetes and Potassium
   https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/potassium-diabetes
2. B-a-Ba de l’insuline :
   https://www.diabetealecole.ca/ecoles/linsuline
   L’insuline : ce que le personnel scolaire doit savoir
3. Niveaux normaux de glucose dans le sang
   https://www.drberg.com/blog/the-potassium-insulin-connection
4. Basics sur la gestion de la glycémie (en anglais)
   Dr. Eric Berg with “Big Diabetes Myth”
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7fHYSyvxU0
5. Effects of potassium on insulin. Potassium as a link between insulin and RAAS.
   DOI: 10.1097/00004872-199204001-00002
6. Le sodium expliqué + Comprendre la fonction du potassium
   Comprendre le fonctionnement du sodium
   Re: Respiration cellulaire & Mitochondrie
   La pompe à sodium / potassium bouffe les 2 tiers de l’énergie (ATP) pour rétablir le gradient ad hoc dans la cellule (influx nerveux).
   Équilibre Sodium et Potassium – Compensation par l’organisme
   Sel – À contre courant! Que faire en cas de rétention d’eau?
7. Insulin and Potassium Relationship
   https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/potassium_levels_possible_key_to_racial_disparity_in_type_2_diabetes
8. High Blood Glucose Levels & Potassium
   https://www.livestrong.com/article/334474-high-blood-glucose-levels-potassium/
9. • ATP-sensitive potassium channels participate in glucose uptake in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. 12/2020
     https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00313.2002
     ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels are known to be critical in the control of both insulin and glucagon secretion, the major hormones in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis.

[LucH]

Context
A potassium intake to avoid an "open bar" means that a significant intake of glucose, without adequate potassium, will leave glucose unused (in the blood) / on the train station platform. The pancreas will try to compensate by secreting more insulin to facilitate the entry of fuel into the cells.
Source:

1. ucfhealth-com, endocrinology, the-relationship-between-potassium-and-diabetes
2. Comprendre le fonctionnement du sodium
   https://mirzoune-ciboulette.forumactif.org/t1362-comprendre-le-fonctionnement-du-sodium#15303
   Excerpt:
   Potassium metabolism has an important link with carbohydrate metabolism and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system via a double feedback mechanism. Due to its potential effects on blood pressure control, plasma potassium levels represent a link between insulin and blood pressure in humans.
   Also: Potassium increases / facilitates the activity of the Na+-K+-ATPase pump (regulated by the kidneys), optimizing blood glucose management and subsequently promoting energy levels. (6)
   Put even more simply: Potassium acts as a mediator / interface in several metabolic processes, with a feedback system (control with feedback). We are far from understanding everything in detail. We are simply observing. (…) Finally, in people with low magnesium levels, the risk of experiencing electrolyte imbalances is very real.

Request to AI
Comment and try explain why.
Your breakfast will impact how your insulin secretion is managed for the rest of the day.
Note: Don’t try to give a thorough explanation but rather try to raise awareness. If you eat 2 fruits for carbs and fiber + 50 g ham or cheese at breakfast, you’re starting on a good trail. Impact on the feedback metabolism; not only the acid-base balance. Target the feedback control.

Answer from AI (ChatGPT)
Imagine your blood sugar curve as the sea.
It speaks about rhythm, stability, and recovery, without entering biochemical debates.
Figure 1: Flakes with yaourt or bread with jam
= stormy weather
Figure 2: 2 fruits + 50 g ham or cheese
= quiet environment
Imagine your blood sugar curve as the sea.

Calm sea
A breakfast with fruits and a protein creates gentle waves.
• fruit (natural carbs + fiber + potassium)
• a little protein/fat (ham, cheese)
The boat moves smoothly. The engine runs at normal temperature. Small corrections are required. Low stress. Energy lasts. No up and down rhythm.
Rough sea (glucose spike)
With mainly fast carbs alone: The sea rises sharply. The boat climbs high. Then drops quickly.
Need for compensation is required:
• The engine revs hard (insulin surge).
• Heat rises (metabolic stress).
• Corrections are abrupt.
After that, the captain is busy stabilizing the boat instead of navigating.
Conclusion:
We’re not about demonizing sugar, glorifying potassium (the all-in-one-solution) or trying to explain “pumps and hormones”. It’s about starting the day in calm water rather than in turbulence. Metabolism likes gradual curves / moderate signals / steady rhythm most of the time (except we have to alternate physical exercise with steady rhythms to enhance homeostasis). The goal is not perfection. It’s avoiding unnecessary waves (continuous stress). Just about rhythm, stability, and recovery cost. And everyone understands the difference between cruising and fighting the sea. We want to avoid that the engine has to work hard to stabilize the boat, to compensate. Also recovery / stability is harder to maintain when the system starts the day in overdrive.

[LucH]

How does the intake of zinc, magnesium, and potassium collectively influence insulin sensitivity and the Treg/Th1/Th2 balance?
Why does this trio prevent ending up in "sluggish" mode?
Metabolism is like a washing machine:
• a wash cycle (action, energy, glucose circulating properly),
• a rinse cycle (calm, repair, immune system readjusting/positioning itself correctly).
If you stop the machine on a single cycle, it foams, it overheats and it breaks down. The body is the same.
And that's where potassium, magnesium, and zinc supplements act as a beneficial combination, like maintenance technicians.
1) Potassium: The guy who flips the "ON" switch
• It helps cells absorb glucose.
• It allows the pancreas to release insulin.
• It provides the electrical signal that makes everything move.
Without adequate potassium → you press the button, but the machine doesn't start. You remain in "agitated / nervous Th1 + lingering blood sugar" mode.
2) Magnesium: The guy who keeps the machine from vibrating and crashing through the kitchen
• It calms the nervous system.
• It stabilizes potassium in cells.
• It helps insulin do its job.
• It prevents immune system overreactions.
Without magnesium → Stress increases, Th2 goes haywire, and insulin sensitivity either goes on strike or becomes erratic…
3) Zinc: the guy who puts away the tools properly and locks the utility room door
• It helps insulin be stored properly.
• It balances Th1/Th2 cells.
• It supports Tregs (the immune system's arbiters).
Without zinc → You have insulin, but it's poorly stored, poorly released, and poorly used. And as far as immunity is concerned, it's a free-for-all.
4) Together, they allow for ALTERNATION (something the body loves).
The body must constantly switch between:
Action Mode (Th1 + effective insulin) → 🧘 Récup Mode (Treg + magnesium).
If you get stuck in one mode:
• inflammation,
• fatigue,
• unstable blood sugar,
• compromised immune system.
This trio of minerals is the conductor of this cycle.
Practical Conclusion
Potassium = the starter
Magnesium = the shock absorber
Zinc = the regulator
When all three work together, the metabolism smoothly alternates between:
• “I act”,
• “I digest”,
• “I repair”,
• “I sleep”,
• “I start again”.
When one is lacking, it's like trying to move forward with a flat tire on a tricycle: it still moves forward, but it leans, it squeaks, and you end up crashing.

[LucH]

Optimizing the timing

1. Why zinc should not be taken with dairy products
   Dairy products provide:
   • calcium,
   • phosphates,
   • caseins.
   These three elements directly compete with zinc for:
   • intestinal transporters,
   • absorption in the duodenum,
   • systemic availability.
   Practical threshold:
   → Beyond approximately 40 mg of calcium in a meal, zinc absorption drops significantly. A simple yogurt, a glass of milk, or 30–40 g of cheese already exceeds this threshold.
   Consequence: If zinc is taken with dairy, some absorption is lost, sometimes up to 40–50%.

2. Why chelated zinc partially avoids this problem
   Chelated zinc (e.g. zinc bisglycinate) is bound to an amino acid (glycine). This allows it to:
   • utilize amino acid transporters,
   • avoid direct competition with calcium,
   • be absorbed deeper in the intestine,
   • be less susceptible to interference from food.
   Therefore:
   Zinc bisglycinate can be taken with a meal containing some calcium.
   ✘ Zinc gluconate or picolinate should not be taken with dairy products.

3. Why avoid gluconate and picolinate in this context?
   A. Zinc gluconate
   • Non-chelated transport,
   • Highly sensitive to competition with calcium,
   • Reduced absorption if the meal contains minerals.
   B. Zinc picolinate
   • Good absorption on an empty stomach,
   • But strongly inhibited by calcium,
   • Saturable transport,
   • More sensitive to food interactions.
   C. Zinc bisglycinate (or other chelated form)
   • Transport via amino acid transporters,
   • More stable absorption,
   • Fewer interactions with calcium,
   • Better digestive tolerance.
   Practical conclusion: → If dairy is present in the meal, only a chelated form (bisglycinate) remains suitable.

4. Why Transport Can Become Saturated
   Zinc uses:
   • specific transporters (ZIP4, ZnT),
   • amino acid transporters (if chelated).
   When a meal contains:
   • calcium,
   • iron,
   • phytates,
   • caseins, → the transporters become saturated or compete with each other, reducing the absorption of unchelated zinc.
   Zinc bisglycinate bypasses this problem because:
   • it is absorbed as a dipeptide,
   • it does not directly compete with calcium.

5. Practical Summary
   Never take unchelated zinc (gluconate, picolinate) with dairy products.
   The critical threshold is approximately 40 mg of calcium in a meal.
   Zinc bisglycinate (or other chelated forms) is much less susceptible to this interaction.
   Chelated zinc is ideally taken:
   with a dairy-free meal,
   or between meals,
   or with an amino acid (glycine) to optimize transport.

[LucH]

More details on this link:
Relation entre potassium et insuline
https://mirzoune-ciboulette.forumactif.org/t2175-relation-entre-potassium-et-insuline#30640
Blood glucose management – the essential trio – with potassium playing a key role as an often-overlooked facilitator and magnesium ensuring stability. See graph at the end of the post.