Use potassium-enriched salt if you have BP

Hypertension (high  blood pressure) affects an estimated 1.3 billion worldwide, killing approximately 10 million people every year, according to world heart federation.

Potassium containing foods are also not consumed by many people. 

 Excess salt (sodium) increases the risk of high blood pressure so everyone with hypertension is advised to reduce salt in their diet. However, most people  find this difficult to follow as they are used to high salt intake and think using less salt reduces the taste of the food they eat.

So science has come up with a simple and effective solution:  potassium-enriched salt. It can be used just like regular salt and most people don't notice any important difference in taste.

Switching to potassium-enriched salt is feasible in a way that cutting salt intake is not.

Many people don't know that excess dietary sodium intake and insufficient dietary potassium intake are both well-established risk factors for hypertension. Consistent recent data from randomized controlled trials show that potassium-enriched, sodium-reduced salt substitutes are an effective option for improving consumption levels and reducing blood pressure and the rates of cardiovascular events and deaths(1).

Researchers are making strong recommendation for patients with hypertension—potassium-enriched salt with a composition of 75% sodium chloride and 25% potassium chloride  to all patients with hypertension, unless they have advanced kidney disease, are using a potassium supplement, are using a potassium-sparing diuretic, or have another contraindication. They strongly encourage clinical guideline bodies to review their recommendations about the use of potassium-enriched salt substitutes at the earliest opportunity (1).

Potassium-enriched salts replace some of the sodium chloride that makes up regular salt with potassium chloride. They're also called low-sodium salt, potassium salt, heart salt, mineral salt, or sodium-reduced salt.

Potassium chloride looks the same as sodium chloride and tastes very similar.

Recommended wording for guidance about the use of potassium-enriched salt in clinical management guidelines.

However, there are a few drawbacks: Potassium-enriched salt is less accessible and many people don't even know that it exists!

Potassium-enriched salts also cost more than regular salt. I have searched for it on Amazon and it costs Rs. 190 per just 100 grams! Ordinary salt costs 10 to 40 rupees per 1000 grams. 

Experts say even though generally more expensive, potassium-enriched salt has the potential to be highly cost effective for disease prevention.

If you don't mind the aftertaste (some people find it slightly bitter or metallic), the extra potassium these products provide is usually fine (2). But in some clinical trials,  more than 80 % of participants who either did not distinguish between the two salts even in high potassium-enriched salts or preferred potassium-enriched salt (P < 0.001). The number of participants who preferred the flavour of potassium-enriched salt was greater than the number of subjects who preferred the flavour of regular sodium chloride (3).

A frequently raised concern about using potassium-enriched salt is the risk of high blood potassium levels (hyperkalemia) in the approximately 2% of the population with serious kidney disease.

In some countries, potassium-enriched salt is recommended to the entire community because the potential benefits are so large. A modelling study showed almost half a million strokes and heart attacks would be averted every year in China if the population switched to potassium-enriched salt.

Footnotes: 

1. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.123.21343

2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/can-a-salt-substitute-c...'ll%20explain%20below.

3. https://clinicalhypertension.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40...

Source: https://theconversation.com/this-salt-alternative-could-help-reduce...

and also the above mentioned journals.

The information provided is not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is the information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment. If you or any other person has a medical concern, you should consult with your health care provider or seek other professional medical treatment.