There is growing and strong evidence that substituting potassium for sodium in salt is good for blood pressure and stroke prevention. There are a few people who shouldn’t do this, but I’ll come back to that later.
The George Institute in Sydney, well known for its large clinical trials in heart disease around the world, has had a large ongoing study in China comparing people who used salt where 25% of the sodium had been replaced with potassium. This is the level where people can’t detect any difference in taste. The first report from this trial showed significant reductions in blood pressure in the people taking the potassium substitute. The most recent paper was into the highest risk group – those who’d already had a stroke and therefore were at high risk of another. The people on the potassium salt have a significantly lower risk of a recurrent stroke compared to those on regular salt.
The implications of this study are enormous since we consume far too much sodium – almost twice as much as recommended. The point is that if potassium substituted salt was more easily available it could benefit large numbers of people.
People who really need to take the advice of their GP about potassium substitution are particularly those on medications which stop the body getting rid of potassium (these are certain kinds of water pills or diuretics) and people with kidney disease or kidney damage because apso impairs the body’s ability to keep potassium levels normal. For the rest of us, our issues are more commonly with lower levels of potassium.
In Australia potassium substituted salt products are usually at a level of 50% and they’re found in the health aisle of your supermarket rather than the spice section.
Further information
This salt alternative could help reduce blood pressure. So why are so few people using it? myDoctor.com.au
