muscle fibers.
The kidneys help keep many of the substances involved in those processes within appropriate ranges.
## Muscles Need the Right Electrolyte Balance
Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electrical charge when dissolved in body fluids.
Important electrolytes include sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate.
Muscle and nerve cells rely on differences in electrolyte concentrations across their cell membranes to generate electrical signals.
Potassium is particularly important.
Cells maintain a carefully controlled concentration of potassium inside and outside their membranes. The kidneys are one of the body’s major regulators of potassium levels because they determine how much potassium is excreted in urine.
When kidney function becomes significantly impaired, potassium can accumulate in the bloodstream.
This condition, known as hyperkalemia, can be dangerous because abnormal potassium levels can interfere with electrical activity in muscles and the heart.
On the other hand,
