An international team of researchers is proposing an innovative approach to combat hypertension, a condition affecting more than a billion people worldwide.
Their recommendation, published in the scientific journal of the American Heart Association,
Hypertension, suggests the adoption of salt enriched with potassium and low in sodium in the treatment guidelines for hypertension. This proposal is based on evidence showing that potassium-enriched salt could reduce sodium intake while increasing potassium intake, thus offering a taste-neutral solution to a public health issue.
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High sodium consumption and low potassium intake are common and associated with an increased risk of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and premature death. Replacing part of the sodium chloride with potassium chloride in salt addresses both issues simultaneously. Despite the benefits demonstrated by randomized controlled trials and good patient acceptance, the use of these salt substitutes remains rare in current practices. The study's authors emphasize the inconsistency and incompleteness of clinical recommendations regarding their use.
Potassium-enriched salt can be used as a direct substitute for conventional table salt, without most people noticing any taste difference. This could represent a significant advancement since resistance to efforts to reduce salt intake mainly resided in changing the taste of foods.
A global collaboration of researchers analyzed 32 hypertension treatment guidelines published between January 1, 2013, and June 21, 2023. They discovered that, although all guidelines mention sodium reduction, only two - those of China and Europe - specifically recommend the use of potassium-enriched salt.
The barrier to adopting potassium-enriched salt was also attributed to the fear of causing high levels of potassium in the blood (hyperkalemia) in people with advanced kidney diseases. However, no serious cases of hyperkalemia were recorded in trials to date, all of which were conducted in clinical settings. The researchers recommend an urgent review of clinical guidelines to incorporate the use of potassium-enriched salt, a measure that could prevent millions of cardiovascular incidents each year at low cost.