About Potassium Citrate

Potassium citrate, also known as potassium citrate and tripotassium citrate. A citrate with a molecular formula of C6H5K3O7 and a molecular weight of 306.39500. It is a kind of white or light yellow crystalline particles or crystalline powder, odorless, salty, cool and deliquescent, easily soluble in water, almost insoluble in ethanol . The relative density is 1.98. Heat to 230°C to melt and decompose.

Potassium citrate is an oral supplement that is used daily to alkalinize urine and dissolve calcium in the urine. It can theoretically reduce the risk of kidney stones. According to a study by Dr. Melanie A. McNally of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, about 6% of children on a ketogenic diet develop kidney stones.The sample of this study included 313 children who were eligible for daily use of potassium citrate. They started on the ketogenic diet at Johns Hopkins Hospital between 2000 and 2008. Each child was followed up for at least one month. Between 2000 and 2005, children who received high urinary calcium on a ketogenic diet received a dose of 2 mEq per kilogram per day. Since 2006, all children on the ketogenic diet have used potassium citrate empirically.4 out of 198 children who used potassium citrate for prophylaxis (2.0%), and 11 (10.5%) of 105 children who did not use potassium citrate developed kidney stones (P=0.003). Beginning in 2006, 2 children refused to supplement potassium citrate; 1 of these 2 children developed kidney stones. At the beginning of the ketogenic diet, children who successfully received prophylactic potassium citrate had a kidney stone incidence of 0.9% (1/106), and children who received potassium citrate because of high urine calcium were 6.7% (13/ 195). Although the urine of children receiving potassium citrate was relatively alkaline (average pH value of 6.8 compared to 6.2; P=0.002), the blood pH value of this group did not decrease. Potassium citrate is well tolerated and has no significant side effects. The study authors wrote that oral potassium citrate is an effective supplement for preventing kidney stones for children on a ketogenic diet. It can achieve the goal of alkalizing urine and is worthy of a comprehensive supplement.But this study lacks randomization.The authors of the study concluded that we recommend that when starting a ketogenic diet, educate about the importance of regular potassium citrate supplementation, and then emphasize its importance at every visit. More research will help determine whether high-dose potassium citrate can be completely prevented or can be used in combination with other supplements, such as compound vitamins, to increase compliance.

Uses of Potassium Citrate

In the food industry, it is used as buffer, chelating agent, stabilizer, antioxidant, emulsifier, flavoring agent, etc. It can be used in milk and dairy products, jelly, jam, meat, canned hydrogel desserts, cheese emulsification, citrus preservation, etc.; in the pharmaceutical industry for hypokalemia and potassium deficiency and alkalization of urine. It can also be made into high-efficiency compound fertilizers, and can also be used in papermaking, gilding and other industries. Drugs to prevent urinary stones.
Potassium citrate is the most commonly used medicine to prevent stones. Studies have found that the pH and citric acid value of urine are closely related to the formation of urinary stones. In acidic urine (pH<5.5), the solubility of uric acid is extremely low, which can easily cause uric acid stones; while in alkaline urine (pH>7), calcium phosphate or phosphatase stones are easily formed. 63% of patients with urinary calculi have lower than normal urinary citric acid, and potassium citrate can provide a large amount of citric acid to increase the pH value in urine, so for uric acid stones, hypocalcium citrate stones and renal tubular poisoning The calcium stone disease caused by it has a very significant therapeutic effect. But this will cause the potassium ions in the urine to increase and the ammonia ions to decrease. This is because potassium citrate not only supplements citric acid, but also supplements potassium. Since potassium is metabolized quickly in the body, there is no change in the potassium content in the blood, so it has little effect on the body. It was found from the daily total urine output, oxalic acid, phosphate, sodium, magnesium, sulfate and uric acid of patients with uric acid stones that it was not affected by taking potassium citrate.