Necessity for insulin in transfer of excess infused K to intracellular fluid

Racial differences in potassium disposal

“…The rise in insulin in response to K + infusion in African Americans is unexplained, as it is unexpected. Since insulin plays an important role in the transfer of K + into intracellular space [28], and its effect on K + transfer is distinguishable from its effect on glucose uptake [29,30], hyperinsulinemia in African Americans following K + infusion cannot explain the racial limitation in K + disposal.…”

Effects of standard oral glucose loading on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and its relationship to circulating insulin

“…Potassium directly stimulates in vitro the insulin secretion from the pancreatic islet cells [17]; while potassium infusions in animals [20,28] or in man maintained on a low potassium diet [11] increased the concentration of circulating insulin. On the other hand, insulin is an important control factor in extracellular potassium homeostasis, facilitating the transfer of this ion into the intracellular space [13,21,27,29].…”

Potassium and anaesthesia

“…The effect of increased insulin levels or acute insulin infusion is to drive potassium intracellularly, mainly into muscle, 47,48 liver, 49 and the general intracellular space. [50][51] Basal insulin levels favour cellular uptake of potassium. 47 The same is not true of potassium, since basal rates of potassium infusion do not influence insulin levels, where potassium loading causes a two-to-three-fold increase in insulin.…”