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Multiple Choice

Which statement about potassium regulation is true?

Potassium balance depends on two processes: moving potassium between the blood and cells, and removing potassium through the kidneys. Insulin activatesNa+/K+-ATPase, which pulls potassium from the extracellular fluid into cells, lowering blood potassium. Aldosterone increases potassium secretion in the kidney’s distal tubule and collecting duct, promoting renal loss of potassium and also lowering blood potassium. This makes the statement that aldosterone and insulin lower potassium by promoting excretion and cellular uptake the correct one. The other ideas mix effects that aren’t as consistent: cortisol’s role in potassium handling isn’t primarily about shifting potassium into cells, and parathyroid hormone mainly regulates calcium and phosphate, not potassium.

Potassium balance depends on two processes: moving potassium between the blood and cells, and removing potassium through the kidneys. Insulin activatesNa+/K+-ATPase, which pulls potassium from the extracellular fluid into cells, lowering blood potassium. Aldosterone increases potassium secretion in the kidney’s distal tubule and collecting duct, promoting renal loss of potassium and also lowering blood potassium.

This makes the statement that aldosterone and insulin lower potassium by promoting excretion and cellular uptake the correct one. The other ideas mix effects that aren’t as consistent: cortisol’s role in potassium handling isn’t primarily about shifting potassium into cells, and parathyroid hormone mainly regulates calcium and phosphate, not potassium.