High blood pressure is one of the most common health problems in the world, yet many people do not realize they have it until serious damage has already happened.
Doctors often call it the “silent killer” because it usually develops without clear symptoms. A person can live with high blood pressure for years while it quietly damages blood vessels, the heart, the brain, and the kidneys.
When blood pressure stays too high for a long time, the heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body. Over time, this extra strain increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, kidney disease, and other dangerous conditions.
In the United States alone, about 122 million adults had high blood pressure between 2017 and 2020. That is nearly half of the adult population. Health experts say the condition contributed to more than 130,000 deaths during that time period. Despite how serious hypertension can be, many people still struggle to control it.
Doctors often recommend several lifestyle changes to lower blood pressure, including exercising more, losing weight, stopping smoking, and eating healthier foods. One of the most important steps is reducing sodium, which is found in salt.
Most people consume much more sodium than their bodies need. A large amount of this sodium comes from processed foods, packaged meals, fast food, canned soups, sauces, snacks, and restaurant meals. Even foods that do not taste very salty can contain large amounts of sodium.
At the same time, many people do not get enough potassium in their diet. Potassium is a mineral that helps balance the effects of sodium inside the body. It helps blood vessels relax and supports healthy blood pressure levels.
Because of this balance between sodium and potassium, scientists have become increasingly interested in salt substitutes.
Salt substitutes are products that replace part or all of the sodium in regular table salt with potassium. They are designed to taste very similar to normal salt while reducing sodium intake at the same time. Some people notice a slightly bitter or metallic taste, especially when the substitute is heated during cooking, but many users say the difference is small.
These products are widely available in supermarkets and are often affordable. For many people, simply switching from regular salt to a potassium-based substitute could be an easy way to improve blood pressure without making major changes to daily meals.
However, new research suggests that very few Americans are actually using them.
The findings were presented at the entity[“event”,”American Heart Association Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2025″,”Baltimore, Maryland, USA”]. Researchers found that fewer than 6% of adults in the United States reported using salt substitutes.
The study showed that use of salt substitutes reached its highest point in 2013 and 2014, when about 5.4% of adults said they used them. But by 2020, the number had fallen to only 2.5%.
What surprised researchers even more was that use remained very low among people with high blood pressure, including those who could benefit the most.
Among adults whose blood pressure remained difficult to control even while taking medication, only about 3.7% to 7.4% reported using salt substitutes. Even among people who were considered safe candidates for potassium-based salt products, usage rates stayed very low, ranging from only 2.3% to 5.1%.
The research was led by Yinying Wei from entity[“organization”,”UT Southwestern Medical Center”,”Dallas, Texas, USA”]. The team analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, often called NHANES, collected between 2003 and 2020.
The study included responses from more than 37,000 adults across the United States. Researchers grouped participants based on whether they had high blood pressure, whether they took blood pressure medications, and whether their blood pressure was under control.
The researchers also examined restaurant eating habits. People who ate restaurant meals three or more times each week were slightly less likely to use salt substitutes. However, after adjusting for differences such as age, race, education, and insurance status, the connection became weaker.
Although salt substitutes may help many people, experts also warn that they are not suitable for everyone.
Because these products contain potassium, they can sometimes raise potassium levels too high in certain individuals. People with kidney disease or people taking medications that affect potassium levels may face serious risks if too much potassium builds up in the body.
Very high potassium levels can affect the heart and may lead to dangerous heart rhythm problems.
For this reason, doctors recommend that people speak with a healthcare professional before switching to potassium-based salt substitutes, especially if they have kidney problems or take medications for heart or kidney disease.
Still, for most adults with healthy kidneys, experts say salt substitutes are considered safe and can be an effective way to lower sodium intake and reduce blood pressure.
Heart specialist Amit Khera, who was not involved in the study, described the low use of salt substitutes as “eye-opening.”
He said both doctors and patients should consider them as one possible tool for managing blood pressure.
Researchers believe the findings highlight a major missed opportunity in public health. They say many people may simply not know about salt substitutes or may not understand their potential benefits.
Future research will try to better understand why so few people use these products. Scientists want to know whether barriers include taste preferences, lack of awareness, cost concerns, limited availability, or confusion about safety.
The findings also show how small changes in everyday habits may have a large effect on public health. High blood pressure remains one of the leading causes of heart disease and stroke worldwide, and lowering sodium intake is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce risk.
For millions of people living with hypertension, replacing regular salt with a potassium-based substitute could become one easy step toward better health. Researchers hope that greater awareness and better education may help more people take advantage of this simple change in the future.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and scientists find how COVID-19 damages the heart.
For more health information, please see recent studies about Aspirin linked to higher risk of heart failure, and results showing Blackcurrants could improve artery functions, blood pressure in older people.
Copyright © 2026 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
