Potassium-enriched salt and cardiovascular deaths, Digi Mart USA News: Replacing common table salt with potassium-enriched salt could help prevent nearly three million deaths and ten million new cases of cardiovascular and kidney disease each year, according to a research team whose findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature Health. For Mexico, the estimates are 30,464 deaths and 138,546 new diseases.
The researchers say this is equivalent to avoiding up to one in every 10 cardiovascular deaths in most countries. They analyzed several hypothetical scenarios across 193 countries, ranging from total global substitution of table salt to more targeted use among people with diagnosed and treated hypertension, or use only in restaurants or only in homes.
Bruce Neal, co-author of the report, said excessive sodium intake and insufficient potassium intake are well-documented causes of high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for potentially fatal conditions such as strokes, heart attacks and kidney disease. Neal, a researcher at the George Institute for Global Health, said switching to potassium-enriched salt carries substantial health benefits, according to a statement from the institution.
Cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, caused an estimated 19.2 million deaths in 2023, a figure representing an increase of nearly 50% over the past 30 years. Potassium-enriched salt is made by replacing part or all of the sodium chloride in common table salt with potassium chloride.
Its appearance, taste and culinary use are identical to conventional salt, the statement said.
The statement adds that in 2025 the World Health Organization endorsed the use of potassium-enriched salt to reduce blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Neal said a global transition to a potassium-enriched substitute is an ambitious goal, but could serve as a starting point for countries to consider this opportunity, which offers far greater potential and significantly lower costs than many drug treatments.
In China, the ideal scenario of total table salt substitution would prevent about 1,082,666 deaths annually and 3,614,123 new cardiovascular and kidney diseases. In India, a country of similar population size with different dietary characteristics, the study projects 399,884 deaths prevented and 1,528,494 diseases avoided.
Globally, about one in three adults aged 30 to 79 has high blood pressure or hypertension, roughly 1.4 billion people. Because the condition often has no symptoms until it is advanced, the article notes that frequent checkups are advisable.
