Switching to Potassium-Enriched Salt Could Save Millions of Lives Annually

Using potassium-enriched salt instead of ordinary table salt could avert nearly three million deaths and about 10 million new cases of cardiovascular and kidney disease worldwide each year, according to new research.

Scientists at The George Institute for Global Health analyzed the impact of replacing regular salt with potassium-enriched salt across 193 countries and concluded that even a partial shift could deliver major health gains.

Bruce Neal, a senior professorial fellow at The George Institute, said the change could prevent up to one in 10 cardiovascular deaths in most countries.

“Consuming too much sodium and not enough potassium are well established causes of high blood pressure - a major risk factor for life threatening conditions like strokes, heart attacks and kidney disease. Switching to potassium-enriched salt addresses both these dietary issues at the same time, with substantial health benefits,” he said in a statement released with the study.

Potassium-enriched salt is produced by substituting some of the sodium chloride in regular salt with potassium chloride. It looks, tastes and cooks the same as standard salt.

Dr. May Bakir, founder and triple board-certified cardiologist at InfiniteHeart Health, who was not involved in the study, told Newsweek that replacing part of the sodium with potassium works in two ways: “Less sodium means the body holds on to less fluid. More potassium, which is probably the bigger factor, helps the kidneys flush out sodium and relaxes blood pressure-raising signals.”

She added that blood pressure usually starts to drop within a few weeks, and studies have recorded meaningful reductions within one to three months.

The World Health Organization endorsed potassium-enriched salt as a way to lower blood pressure and reduce cardiovascular disease risk.

About one in three adults aged 30 to 79 worldwide — roughly 1.4 billion people — have high blood pressure, while cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death and disability globally.

The researchers assessed several scenarios, including replacing all salt used in homes and in processed foods, as well as more targeted approaches for people with diagnosed or treated high blood pressure.

The biggest benefits came from replacing both household salt and the salt used in processed and restaurant foods.

Even so, the researchers noted that potassium-enriched salt may pose risks for people with advanced kidney disease.

Nephrologist professor Vivek Jha, a senior professorial fellow at The George Institute in India, said precautions would be important for some groups.

“People with serious kidney disease and those taking medications that significantly raise blood potassium levels need to take precautions. Risks for this group can be managed effectively through patient education, product labelling, and clinical oversight,” he said in a statement released with the study.

Bakir said people with moderate to advanced chronic kidney disease or those on dialysis should consult their doctor before switching. She also warned people taking potassium supplements or medicines that can raise potassium levels.

The researchers also emphasized that strategies must be adapted to each country.

Neal said: “To realise the maximum benefits from switching to potassium-enriched salt, we need to see the food industry in Europe and North America – where over 70 percent of salt intake comes from processed and restaurant foods – get on board. This would also require investigating ways to scale up the production of potassium chloride to meet demand.”

Neal told Newsweek that widespread adoption is unlikely to happen overnight, but it is far more realistic than the current approach of trying to get people to reduce salt intake, which he said neither individuals nor food companies are likely to do because it makes food taste less salty.

“The greatest barrier at present is awareness – clinicians don’t know to recommend it, and people don’t know to use it,” he said.

Another major hurdle, according to Neal, is cost. He explained that although potassium-enriched salt is a low-cost commodity, it still costs more than regular salt, which could discourage food manufacturers from making the switch.

“We need innovation and scaling in production to get the price of potassium-enriched salt down to that of the cheapest regular salt for widespread industry adoption. Or governments to mandate use by corporations, as many have for iodised salt,” he said.

Reference:

Neal et al. Global health outcomes from replacing dietary sodium chloride with potassium-enriched salt. Nature Health

DOI: 10.1038/s44360-026-00216-9

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Kara Dolman, Gray R. Thomas