A group of international health experts is calling for new guidelines on treating high blood pressure. They want doctors to recommend potassium-enriched salt instead of regular salt. Their argument is based on strong evidence that too much sodium (found in regular salt) and too little potassium increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and early death.
The Problem with Regular Salt
Most people eat too much salt, which contains sodium. This is a major cause of high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. High blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and other serious health problems. At the same time, most people do not get enough potassium in their diets. Potassium helps to lower blood pressure, but modern diets often lack it.
A simple solution is to replace some of the sodium in salt with potassium. Potassium-enriched salt tastes just like regular salt but is much healthier. Unlike other low-salt options, which can make food taste bland, potassium-enriched salt keeps food tasting the same.
Professor Alta Schutte, from The George Institute for Global Health and UNSW Sydney, pointed out that scientific studies have already proven the health benefits of potassium-enriched salt. However, it is not commonly used because current medical guidelines do not recommend it strongly enough.
Reviewing Global Guidelines
A team of researchers from the US, Australia, Japan, South Africa, and India examined 32 different guidelines on treating high blood pressure. These guidelines came from global, regional, and national health organizations. The researchers found that nearly all the guidelines advised people to reduce salt intake.
Many also recommended eating more potassium-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables. However, only two guidelines—those from China and Europe—specifically suggested using potassium-enriched salt.
Dr. Tom Frieden, who leads a global health organization, explained why this is a problem. Over the past 30 years, the number of people with high blood pressure has doubled to 1.3 billion worldwide. High blood pressure is responsible for over 10 million deaths every year. A large portion of these deaths is caused by eating too much salt.
Switching to potassium-enriched salt could save millions of lives, yet most countries do not promote it. Dr. Frieden believes that potassium-enriched salt should be made widely available in grocery stores, restaurants, and homes. It should not be treated as a luxury product but as a standard option.
Addressing Concerns
One concern about potassium-enriched salt is that it may not be safe for people with severe kidney disease. People with kidney disease need to limit their potassium intake because their kidneys cannot remove excess potassium from their blood.
However, Professor Bruce Neal from The George Institute Australia assured that this is only a concern for a small group of people. Doctors already advise these patients to avoid too much salt, so they would not be using potassium-enriched salt anyway.
Studies on potassium-enriched salt have not found any serious health risks. These studies were done under medical supervision, where doctors ensured that patients with kidney disease did not use the salt. As long as health professionals oversee its use, potassium-enriched salt is safe for most people.
A Simple and Effective Change
The researchers strongly recommend adding potassium-enriched salt to treatment guidelines for high blood pressure. It is one of the few dietary changes that people are willing to stick with long-term because it does not change the taste of food.
Professor Schutte urged medical organizations to update their recommendations as soon as possible. If the world switched to potassium-enriched salt, millions of strokes and heart attacks could be prevented each year at little cost.
Understanding Sodium and Potassium Intake
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting sodium intake to 2 grams per day, which is about 5 grams of salt. However, the average person eats about 10.8 grams of salt per day—more than double the recommended amount. WHO has classified sodium reduction as one of the most important ways to prevent chronic diseases.
At the same time, most people do not get enough potassium. The global average potassium intake is around 2.3 grams per day, while WHO recommends at least 3.5 grams. Some regions, such as India, China, and West Africa, have even lower potassium intake levels.
To address these issues, the researchers proposed clear recommendations for medical guidelines:
- For people with high blood pressure: They should use potassium-enriched salt unless they have severe kidney disease or other specific conditions that prevent them from consuming extra potassium.
- For the general public: Potassium-enriched salt is a better option than regular salt and should be widely available, especially in places where kidney disease is rare or well-managed by healthcare systems.
Reviewing the Findings
This study highlights a major gap in current medical guidelines. Despite strong scientific evidence, most health organizations have not actively promoted potassium-enriched salt as a solution for high blood pressure. This is a missed opportunity to prevent millions of deaths caused by strokes and heart disease.
The study also reinforces how difficult it is to change dietary habits. Most salt reduction strategies fail because people do not like the taste of low-sodium foods. However, potassium-enriched salt overcomes this problem because it tastes the same as regular salt. This makes it a practical and effective solution.
Another important takeaway is the need for better public awareness. Many people do not know about potassium-enriched salt, and even doctors may not recommend it because it is not in official guidelines. Making this salt more available and affordable could have a huge impact on global health.
In conclusion, potassium-enriched salt is a simple, low-cost way to reduce high blood pressure and prevent serious health problems. Governments and health organizations should take immediate action to include it in medical guidelines and make it accessible to everyone.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about unhealthy habits that could increase high blood pressure risk, and eating eggs in a healthy diet may reduce risks of diabetes, high blood pressure.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and results showing 12 foods that lower blood pressure.
The research findings can be found in Hypertension.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
