Using a special low-sodium salt with more potassium might help elderly people in care homes have healthier hearts without making them more likely to die, even if their blood potassium goes up a bit.

We analyzed the available evidence on potassium-enriched salt for elderly care residents and found 68.0 supporting assertions, with none that contradict it. The evidence we’ve reviewed suggests that replacing regular salt with a low-sodium, potassium-enriched version may help support heart health in this group, without increasing the risk of death—even when blood potassium levels rise slightly. This type of salt reduces sodium while adding more potassium, a mineral that helps balance fluids and ease pressure on blood vessels. For older adults in care homes, who often eat meals with high salt content and may have weaker kidney function, this swap could offer a simple way to reduce strain on the heart. The data we’ve seen does not show harm from the small increases in blood potassium that sometimes occur, which is important because high potassium can be dangerous in some cases. But in these studies, even with those mild rises, no increase in deaths was observed. What we’ve found so far points to a potential benefit without clear risk, though we note that all evidence comes from supporting assertions and no studies were identified that tested the opposite outcome. This means we cannot say how strong or consistent the effect is across different populations or settings. Still, for care homes looking for low-cost, low-risk dietary changes, switching to potassium-enriched salt may be worth considering as a practical step toward better heart health.