It is already known that excess salt is an enemy of health, as it can cause, among other problems, high blood pressure. Now a study published in the journal Heart has revealed that dietary salt substitutes could reduce the risk of heart attack, cerebrovascular accident such as stroke, and the chance of dying prematurely.
In the substitute product, a proportion of sodium chloride (NaCl) is replaced by potassium chloride (Kcl), which reduces the risk of an increase in blood pressure. Reducing salt intake is important for everyone, even for those who do not have a diagnosis of hypertension, because, according to researchers, some 1.28 billion people in the world have this disease, and half of them do not know it.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that you do not exceed a daily salt intake of 5 g, which is less than a teaspoon of coffee. However, there are many foods that contain salt among their ingredients, so it is important to control what you eat and try not to add salt to any preparation.
To reach the research conclusions, data from 21 relevant international clinical trials involving almost 30,000 people were analyzed. In them, the proportion of sodium chloride in the salt substitutes varied from 33% to 75%, and that of potassium between 25% and 65%. Follow-up times ranged from one month to five years.
A good strategy to reduce salt intake in the diet
The results showed that substituting table salt for an alternative with less sodium chloride and more potassium chloride lowered blood pressure in all participants. Specifically, a drop in systolic blood pressure of 4.61 mmHg and 1.61 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure was observed.
Every 10% less sodium chloride in the salt substitute was associated with a 1.53 mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure and a 0.95 mmHg drop in diastolic blood pressure
Another finding indicated that this reduction in blood pressure remained constant, regardless of factors such as age, sex, history of hypertension, initial levels of sodium and potassium in the urine, or weight or body mass index. (BMI).
The authors also noted that each 10% decrease in sodium chloride in the salt substitute was associated with a 1.53 mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure and a 0.95 mmHg drop in diastolic blood pressure. On the other hand, no risk was found from increasing dietary potassium intake.
Further analysis of the results indicated that salt substitutes helped reduce the risk of premature death from any cause by up to 11%, cardiovascular disease by 13%, and the risks of heart attack or stroke by 13% and 11%, respectively.
“Since blood pressure reduction is the mechanism by which salt substitutes confer their cardiovascular protection, the observed consistent blood pressure reductions make a strong case for the generalization of the observed cardiovascular protective effect,” they explain. the authors. Therefore, these substitutes could be a good strategy to reduce dietary sodium intake and reduce dangerous cardiovascular events.
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