A Salt Swap That May Lower the Risk of Death From Heart Disease

Could one simple change in the kitchen help save millions of lives?

It may sound too good to be true, but new research suggests that replacing regular table salt with a healthier alternative could prevent millions of deaths each year from heart and kidney disease.

The alternative is potassium-enriched salt, a product many shoppers may have seen on store shelves without giving it much thought.

Researchers describe it as a low-cost, practical way to reduce disease across large populations. Here is why it matters.

What is potassium-enriched salt?

You can reduce sodium intake without changing how much salt you use.

Products such as Morton Lite Salt, Nu-Salt, and LOSALT remove about a quarter to half of the sodium chloride and replace it with potassium chloride. For most people, the taste change is barely noticeable.

The idea is not new. According to the American Heart Association, it works in two ways: it cuts sodium, which can raise blood pressure, and it increases potassium, which helps counter sodium’s effects.

Higher potassium intake helps the body excrete more sodium in urine. It also relaxes the walls of blood vessels, which can help lower blood pressure.

But this option is not suitable for everyone. People with advanced kidney disease, those taking potassium supplements, and those using diuretics that limit potassium loss in urine, such as spironolactone, are among those who should avoid it.

If the kidneys cannot remove excess potassium efficiently, levels can build up and cause problems such as nausea, vomiting, or, in severe cases, an irregular heart rhythm.

A study worth its salt

Researchers modeled the possible benefits of replacing regular table salt with potassium-enriched salt in 193 countries, including the United States.

The team focused on four conditions that would account for the biggest health gains:

• Ischemic heart disease: narrowed or blocked arteries that can lead to heart attacks
• Hypertensive heart disease: damage caused by high blood pressure that can lead to heart failure
• Stroke: brain injury caused by blocked or ruptured blood vessels
• Chronic kidney disease: gradual loss of kidney function that can lead to kidney failure

They found that replacing all salt worldwide could prevent 2.96 million deaths from these diseases each year.

Even partial changes would make a difference. Switching only the salt used at home could prevent as many as 1.85 million deaths. Replacing 50% of all salt could save 1.72 million lives, while a 20% swap could save 700,000.

The researchers estimated that new cases of these diseases would fall by 10.17 million annually.

In the United States alone, a full switch could prevent 104,787 deaths and 491,905 new cases of these diseases each year.

Why the change may be hard

The authors acknowledge that replacing all salt consumed around the world is unrealistic in the near term, especially since potassium-enriched salt costs about twice as much as regular salt.

Still, public health history offers an example of a successful salt substitution. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many parts of the United States faced iodine deficiency, which caused thyroid problems. Scientists began adding iodine to salt in the early 20th century, and it remains widely used.

If you want to make the switch, speak with your doctor first to confirm that your kidneys can handle it and that your medications will not make added potassium a problem.

A study published by the American Heart Association recommends that people with high blood pressure, with a doctor’s approval, consider the change.

The recommended blend is 75% salt and 25% potassium chloride. It can be used as a direct 1:1 replacement, so there is no need for a gradual transition.

And the switch should not be seen as a reason to use more salt overall, since that would erase the benefit.