You probably know that most of us eat more salt than we should.
You may have tried cutting back, only to find your food tasted flat. The good news is there may be an easier fix than throwing out the salt shaker.
New modeling research published in Nature Health by The George Institute for Global Health looked at swapping regular table salt for potassium-enriched salt.
The switch could prevent almost 3 million deaths and 10 million new cases of heart and kidney disease each year.
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In US grocery stores, this kind of salt is usually sold as "lite salt" or low-sodium salt.
Morton Lite Salt, for instance, is half regular salt and half potassium chloride. The look, taste, and cooking behavior stay close to the original.
The modeling builds on the Salt Substitute and Stroke Study, a large trial of nearly 21,000 adults in rural China published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2021.
Over almost five years, people who used a 75/25 blend of sodium and potassium chloride had a 14 percent lower rate of stroke.
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They also had 13 percent fewer major cardiovascular events and 12 percent fewer deaths than those who kept using regular salt.
Why potassium is doing the work
Too much sodium and too little potassium both push blood pressure up.
According to Bruce Neal, Senior Professorial Fellow at The George Institute, switching to potassium-enriched salt addresses both problems at once.
The projected US gain is sizeable. The modeling estimates the switch could prevent about 104,787 American deaths from heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease each year.
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One in 10 cardiovascular deaths could be averted in most countries.
Who should talk to a doctor before switching
Potassium can be dangerous for some people.
The American Heart Association advises that anyone with advanced kidney disease, or anyone taking medications that affect potassium, check with a healthcare professional before using these products.
That warning applies to common prescriptions such as potassium-sparing diuretics and ACE inhibitors used for high blood pressure, and to potassium supplements. In those cases, the extra potassium in the salt can build up in the blood.
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For most other adults, potassium-enriched salt is widely available in the US at Kroger, Walmart, Publix and other grocery chains.
It typically costs about twice as much as regular table salt.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.