Clinical trial of subduing effect of salt substitutes on blood pressure

Key points from article :

High consumption of salt (sodium chloride) drives blood pressure up, poor cardiovascular health and poses a major risk of early death.

Swapping regular salt for a substitute, a portion of the sodium chloride replaced with potassium chloride reduces these health risks.

Results from 21 clinical trials, involving nearly 32,000 participants, reported the effects of salt substitutes on blood pressure.

Salt substitutes produce consistent blood pressure-lowering effects across geographies and diverse participant subsets.

No adverse effects were detected from the increased intake of potassium chloride.

Concerns for people with kidney disease raised, who should limit dietary potassium intake.

Switching to salt substitutes reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke and early death from any cause by 11%; cardiovascular disease risk was reduced by 13%.

“Using different herbs and spices when cooking is a great way to add flavour and replace salt.,” said Tracy Parker, a heart health dietitian.

Research by George Institute for Global Health and Imperial College published in Heart.