Americans love salty foods. From pizza and chips to burgers and even bread, salt is found in almost everything we eat. But while it makes food taste better, eating too much salt can be bad for our health.
Most people in the United States consume more than 3,400 milligrams of salt each day. That’s far above the recommended daily limit of 2,300 milligrams. Too much salt can raise blood pressure, and over time, this can lead to serious health problems like heart disease, stroke, and even early death.
To help solve this issue, scientists have been searching for a healthier kind of salt—one that still tastes good but is better for the body. In 2015, researchers supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) created a new kind of salt made with 75% sodium chloride (the regular salt we know) and 25% potassium chloride.
This special mix helps keep the salty flavor that people enjoy but reduces the amount of sodium, which is the part of salt that raises blood pressure. The added potassium is a bonus because it helps relax blood vessels and lower blood pressure. Potassium is also a natural mineral found in foods like bananas, leafy greens, and potatoes.
In 2020, Dr. Jaime Miranda and his research team tested this new salt in Peru. They wanted to find out if using the new salt instead of regular table salt could improve health across entire communities—especially in places where people often have high blood pressure and limited access to doctors or hospitals.
The study took place in Tumbes, a coastal region in northern Peru. Between 2014 and 2017, researchers worked with six villages and studied 2,376 people ranging in age from 18 to over 65.
Some villages switched to using the new salt, while others continued using regular salt. The goal was to see if this simple change in diet could improve people’s health in real-life settings.
The results were encouraging. People who used the new salt had lower average blood pressure. There were also fewer new cases of high blood pressure. Even a small drop in blood pressure—about 2 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg)—can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Importantly, no serious side effects were found from using the salt substitute. This suggests the new salt is safe for most people. However, doctors still recommend caution for people with kidney disease, as too much potassium may not be safe for them. It’s always best to talk to a doctor before making big changes to your diet.
While the new salt isn’t a magic cure, it can be a powerful tool in the fight against high blood pressure. It’s a small change that many people can make. When combined with other healthy habits—like following the DASH diet, which includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-salt foods—this new salt could help people live longer and healthier lives.
In the end, this salt substitute offers a hopeful step forward. It shows that we can enjoy tasty food without putting our health at risk.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and natural coconut sugar could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness.
For more health information, please see recent studies about added sugar in your diet linked to higher blood pressure, and results showing vitamin D could improve blood pressure in people with diabetes.
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