Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
actual product may differ from illustration

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

user:
pass:
register,


           

Nonradioactive Potassium Diet

 Avoid putting K40 in body.
  (+2)
(+2) 		  [vote for,
against]

Potassium-40 is a radioactive element present at ~100mM concentration inside the cells. It is capable of emitting either beta or gamma rays, both with energies > 1MeV. If all potassium intake is the stable potassium-39 or potassium-41, the amount of radical production and DNA damage by K-40 will be lowered.

The diet has two parts. First, the patient must consume a low potassium diet. Special nutritional supplements and shakes will likely be required. Secondly, the patient must take a potassium pill that does not contain potassium-40. I would imagine that a 1000mg daily dose would be astronomically expensive, but the diet is designed for reclusive billionaires, so cost is of no concern.

—Cuit_au_Four, Apr 07 2010

Please log in.
If you're not logged in, you can see what this page looks like, but you will not be able to add anything.
Short name, e.g., Bob's Coffee
Destination URL. E.g., https://www.coffee.com/
Description (displayed with the short name and URL.)






       // I would imagine that a 1000mg daily dose would be astronomically expensive //   

       Not really, since if you ingested a gram of pure metallic potassium you'd be unlikely to live to see another sunrise ... one dose is all that's needed.
—8th of 7, Apr 07 2010
   

       A potassium pill implies pottassium salts, same as any other nutrition supplement, not pure metalic potassium. US RDA 3500mg   

       Cutting out all naturally occuring radioactives is going to be difficult though.
—MechE, Apr 07 2010
   

       As I understand it this is why potassium iodide is given to victims of radiation poisoning. Potassium-40 and iodine-131 are both unstable isotopes that the body can absorb. Providing it with a plentiful source of non-radioactive atoms makes it less likely to retain the dangerous radioactive ones.
—Wrongfellow, Apr 07 2010
   

       wait... are my bananas radioactive?
—twitch, Apr 08 2010
   

       Yes. Everything contains minute amounts of radioactivity, and you live in a blizzard of "cosmic rays" (highly energetic Gamma photons).   

       Happier now ?
—8th of 7, Apr 08 2010
   


 

back: main index
business  computer  culture  fashion  food  halfbakery  home  other  product  public  science  sport  vehicle