Why did salty salt lower blood pressure?
The contribution of sodium reduction and potassium increase to the blood pressure lowering observed in the Salt Substitute and Stroke Study
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Potassium increase likely contributed more to blood pressure reduction than sodium reduction — the opposite of what most public health campaigns emphasize.
For decades, nutrition guidelines have focused almost exclusively on reducing sodium. This study suggests we’ve been putting 80% of the effort on the wrong lever.
Practical Takeaways
Switch to potassium-enriched salt (like LoSalt or NoSalt) if you’re in a high-sodium, low-potassium diet — especially if you eat a lot of processed food or live in rural Asia.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Potassium increase likely contributed more to blood pressure reduction than sodium reduction — the opposite of what most public health campaigns emphasize.
For decades, nutrition guidelines have focused almost exclusively on reducing sodium. This study suggests we’ve been putting 80% of the effort on the wrong lever.
Practical Takeaways
Switch to potassium-enriched salt (like LoSalt or NoSalt) if you’re in a high-sodium, low-potassium diet — especially if you eat a lot of processed food or live in rural Asia.
Publication
Journal
Journal of Human Hypertension
Year
2024
Authors
Liping Huang, Qiang Li, J. Wu, M. Tian, Xuejun Yin, Jie Yu, Yishu Liu, Xinyi Zhang, Yangfeng Wu, Ellie Paige, K. Trieu, Matti Marklund, Anthony Rodgers, Bruce Neal
Related Content
Claims (6)
If you swap out regular table salt for a special salt that has less sodium and more potassium, it might help you have fewer strokes, heart problems, and even live longer — plus it could gently lower your blood pressure.
If you eat more potassium-rich foods and less salty food, your blood pressure might drop by about 3.3 mmHg—and most of that drop probably comes from eating more potassium, not less salt.
Scientists tried to figure out how much of the blood pressure drop in a big study was due to eating less salt versus eating more potassium — and they found it’s hard to say exactly how much each one helped, because the numbers varied a lot depending on how they did the math.
When people used a special salt substitute with less sodium and more potassium, their blood pressure dropped more than scientists expected just from lowering salt — suggesting the extra potassium might be helping out in a way that’s more than just adding two effects together.
When people ate more potassium, their blood pressure went down a little—but the amount it dropped varied a lot depending on which study you looked at, so we’re not sure exactly how much potassium helps lower blood pressure.