Experts recommend inclusion of potassium-enriched salt in hypertension treatment guidelines

This small change could have a big impact on high blood pressure control, experts say

A call to include recommendations on low-sodium potassium-enriched salt in hypertension treatment guidelines has been made by an international group of experts today in the American Heart Association’s scientific journal Hypertension.

High levels of sodium intake and low levels of potassium intake are widespread, and both are linked to high blood pressure (hypertension) and greater risk of stroke, heart disease and premature death. Using a salt substitute where part of the sodium chloride is replaced with potassium chloride addresses both problems at once.

Professor Alta Schutte, The George Institute for Global Health and UNSW Sydney said that despite data from randomised controlled trials demonstrating the health benefits of potassium-enriched, sodium-reduced salt substitutes, they are rarely used.

“We found current clinical guidelines offer incomplete and inconsistent recommendations about the use of these salt substitutes,” she said.

“Given the wealth of evidence available, we feel it’s time to include salt substitutes in treatment guidelines to help address spiralling rates of uncontrolled high blood pressure around the world and reduce preventable deaths.”

Potassium-enriched salt can be used as a direct replacement for regular salt (sodium chloride) when seasoning, preserving or manufacturing foods. Importantly, while other salt reduction strategies make foods taste less salty, switching to potassium-enriched salt is undetectable by most people.

“Unwanted taste effects are the main reason why efforts to reduce salt intake have failed for more than two decades.  The willingness of patients to keep using potassium-enriched salt removes that barrier, which is why it can be a game-changer,” Prof Schutte added.

A global collaboration of researchers from the US, Australia, Japan, South Africa and India reviewed 32 separate hypertension treatment guidelines – two from global organisations, five from regional organisations and 25 from country organisations – published between 1 January 2013 and 21 June 2023.

They found all guidelines referred to sodium reduction, with most recommending reducing salt intake. Many also recommended increasing dietary potassium intake, but only two – the Chinese and European guidelines – made a specific recommendation for using potassium-enriched salt.

Dr Tom Frieden, President and CEO, Resolve to Save Lives, a global public health organisation focused on preventing 100 million deaths from cardiovascular disease, said that the number of people living with hypertension had doubled in the past 30 years to about 1.3 billion.

“High blood pressure kills more than ten million people every year – almost 20 people every minute. Twenty percent of these deaths can be linked to a single culprit: eating too much salt,” he said. “Based on the evidence, there is little doubt that most patients with hypertension and their families should reduce their overall salt intake and, when choosing to consume salt, should switch from regular salt to potassium-enriched salt. This will help reduce blood pressure and protect against serious complications such as stroke and premature death.”

Dr Frieden emphasised the shift required to our food environment. “As a society, we must prioritize availability and accessibility of low-sodium, potassium-enriched salts – at home, in restaurants, and in grocery stores. These products should not be marketed or priced as a luxury. Low-sodium, potassium-enriched salt can become the new default.”

Another barrier to uptake has been concerns about causing elevated levels of potassium in the blood (hyperkalaemia) in people with advanced kidney disease.

Professor Vivekanand Jha, Executive Director, The George Institute India, said that while it is evident that people with serious kidney issues should avoid salt substitutes with extra potassium, this pertains to a very small segment of the population with advanced kidney disease issues. They should seek advice from their treating doctors on salt consumption.

“In the population studies done so far, no serious problems have been reported due to the use of potassium-containing salt substitutes. It is important to emphasise that our advice for hypertension management applies to patients who are regularly checked by healthcare workers. Healthcare workers already know not to suggest potassium-enriched salt to people with kidney problems, so they can avoid any possible risks.”

The authors argued that given potassium-enriched salt is one of the few dietary interventions patients comply with long-term, it is logical to at least consider the use of potassium-enriched salt for all those with hypertension.

“We strongly encourage clinical guideline bodies to review their recommendations about the use of potassium-enriched salt substitutes at the earliest opportunity – if the world switched from using regular salt to potassium-enriched it would prevent millions of strokes and heart attacks every year at very low cost,” added Prof Schutte.