[HN Gopher] New mathematical model shows how the body regulates ...
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New mathematical model shows how the body regulates potassium
Author : wglb
Score : 70 points
Date : 2023-01-31 01:16 UTC (21 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (phys.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (phys.org)
| verisimi wrote:
| > Using existing biological data, researchers at the University
| of Waterloo built a mathematical model that simulates how an
| average person's body regulates potassium, both in times of
| potassium depletion and during potassium intake.
|
| I guess a mathematical model of how the average body regulates
| potassium leaves no room for error... right? No chance of causing
| the problem the think they will fix?
|
| > The model could be used for a virtual patient trial, allowing
| researchers to generate dozens of patients and then predict which
| ones would have hyper- or hypokalemia based on different
| controls.
|
| Mathematical models, average person, virtual patients, generating
| dozens of patients... at some point we will get to reality, I
| hope!
|
| It surely does not need repeating that: the map is not the
| terrain.
| nealabq wrote:
| I once consumed a couple of grams of NU-Salt (potassium chloride)
| in an effort to lower blood pressure. Indeed it works. Also
| lowers heart rate. And makes your face numb. Use it lightly on
| food otherwise everything taste metallic.
|
| This wasn't a very wise experiment -- I don't recommend it.
| Injected, KCl can kill you (and is used for executions). I don't
| know the fatal oral dose, but it's so orally unpleasant you'd
| probably be vomiting before getting there.
| giardini wrote:
| I've taken it for nighttime cramps that wake me from sleep
| after a strenuous workout. A few shakes of NU-Salt into a
| 1/2-cup of water, stir and drink. Works fast (within 20
| seconds) and lets me sleep.
| TheRealPomax wrote:
| Small reminder that it's not an experiment unless you have a
| hypothesis, rule out all other variables, and chronicle the
| results. No clipboard, no experiment.
| xnx wrote:
| I'm not sure where the banana = potassium association was
| established, but it's odd considering that there are many fruits,
| like strawberries, contain more potassium than bananas per
| calorie.
| blululu wrote:
| I suspect that it is about availability. Strawberries are only
| available for a few months each year. Bananas are easy to find
| on the go. Of course eating greens kale/broccoli is cheaper,
| more nutritious and more traditional so maybe the whole banana
| = potassium thing is all just some elaborate United Fruit
| Company marketing scam.
|
| *Edit: following up on this, it does look like "banana are a
| good source of potassium" is indeed a united fruit company
| marketing myth.
|
| Cite 1: https://episodictable.com/potassium/ Cite 2:
| https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822031040892&vi...
| rcme wrote:
| A medium banana has 422 mg of K. A strawberry has 18 mg of K.
| So you'd need to eat like 20+ strawberries to get the same
| amount of K.
| xnx wrote:
| That's why I shared the number in terms of potassium per
| calorie and not potassium per fruit.
| oscillonoscope wrote:
| Most people don't eat per calorie. They eat to fulfillment
| which is some combination of volume & weight.
| rcme wrote:
| You posed a question about why bananas are the "go to"
| potassium fruit compared to strawberries. Eating a single
| banana is way easier than eating 23 strawberries.
| kzrdude wrote:
| Strawberries are "famously calorie free", so it just seems
| to make a lopsided comparison in the other direction.
| ROTMetro wrote:
| Is the price point per calorie the same? How about
| storage/transportation? When I could go pick fresh organic
| strawberries in the field I loved them. Where I am now
| strawberries are expensive (slightly) flavored expensive
| cardboard. Bananas are the same both places. They seem like a
| pretty efficient source, consumed and available world wide with
| a much longer shelf life. Traveling overseas dried banana chips
| were one of the cheapest snack foods available everywhere to
| everyone. Dried strawberries not so much.
| djmips wrote:
| Strawberries are too sweet.
| graphe wrote:
| Honey I shrunk the kids.
| lupyro wrote:
| I think about this movie every time I eat a banana and I can
| confirm this is where I learned this
| asow92 wrote:
| Avocados have more potassium than bananas and less glycemic load.
| yeahwhatever10 wrote:
| "Do not let perfect be the enemy of the good." There's nothing
| wrong with eating bananas.
| asow92 wrote:
| Don't get me wrong, I love bananas, but I prefer to stay in
| ketosis.
| User23 wrote:
| That's a good plan if you struggle with insulin resistance,
| as many do. However if that's not a problem your avocado vs
| banana choice can freely be based on taste preference.
| asow92 wrote:
| That's a lot of people
| https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p0718-diabetes-
| repor...
|
| And "7.2 million Americans - didn't know they had the
| condition. Only 11.6 percent of adults with prediabetes
| knew they had it."
|
| How many people think they are able to make this choice
| based on personal preference while doing harm to their
| metabolic health? A1C tests are affordable without
| insurance.
| djmips wrote:
| Eat less ripe bananas for less glycemic load.
| tedmcory77 wrote:
| Interesting adaptation - Ultramarathoners can adapt to have very
| high potassium levels. I remember participating in a study with
| Dr. Stephen Hammer from Indian River State College where we did
| blood draws, resting heart rates pre and post ultras and they
| were joking about how high runner's potassium levels were.
| djmips wrote:
| Do they adapt to high potassium levels or are selected for
| their high potassium levels?
| collyw wrote:
| mathematical model - pseudoscience
| _8091149529 wrote:
| I agree with parent (despite the downvotes), there's an
| ontological mismatch in the title. Mathematical constructs by
| themselves cannot reveal truths about the physical world.
| Instead: Mathematical model confirmed by experiment. Or: Old
| observations elucidated by mathematical model.
| epgui wrote:
| That's some nice philosophizing, but maybe you should read
| and understand the paper before dismissing it flippantly: htt
| ps://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/jo...
| pmlnr wrote:
| Kalium for those who learnt outside of English territory.
| ex3xu wrote:
| Matlab files on Github: https://github.com/Layton-Lab/Kregulation
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