Too much or too little salt can hurt your heart — and potassium might too
The relation between urinary sodium and potassium excretion and risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at people who already had heart or blood vessel problems and found that eating just the right amount of salt is safest — too little or too much raises the risk of heart attacks or death. Surprisingly, eating more potassium (like from bananas) was linked to higher risk, not lower. The best balance was a specific ratio of salt to potassium.
Surprising Findings
Higher potassium excretion was linked to increased risk of heart events and death, not decreased.
For decades, potassium has been hailed as a heart protector that counteracts sodium. This study found the exact opposite in high-risk patients.
Practical Takeaways
If you have heart disease, aim for about 4.5–5g of sodium per day (roughly 1 tsp salt) and avoid extreme low-salt diets.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at people who already had heart or blood vessel problems and found that eating just the right amount of salt is safest — too little or too much raises the risk of heart attacks or death. Surprisingly, eating more potassium (like from bananas) was linked to higher risk, not lower. The best balance was a specific ratio of salt to potassium.
Surprising Findings
Higher potassium excretion was linked to increased risk of heart events and death, not decreased.
For decades, potassium has been hailed as a heart protector that counteracts sodium. This study found the exact opposite in high-risk patients.
Practical Takeaways
If you have heart disease, aim for about 4.5–5g of sodium per day (roughly 1 tsp salt) and avoid extreme low-salt diets.
Publication
Journal
PLoS ONE
Year
2022
Authors
Eline H Groenland, Jean-Paul A C Vendeville, M. Bots, G. D. de Borst, H. Nathoe, Y. Ruigrok, P. Blankestijn, F. Visseren, W. Spiering
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Claims (6)
For people who already have heart disease, having just the right balance of salt and potassium in their urine — not too much, not too little — seems to be linked to the lowest chance of heart problems or dying from any cause. Too little or too much of this balance is linked to higher risks.
For people who already have heart disease, eating just the right amount of salt — not too little and not too much — seems to be linked to the lowest chance of heart problems or dying from any cause. Too little or too much salt might actually be riskier.
For people who already have heart disease, the more potassium their body gets rid of in urine, the more likely they are to have a heart attack, stroke, or die — which is the opposite of what most people think potassium does.
Eating too little or too much salt might both be bad for your heart — people who eat way less than 3,000 mg or way more than 6,000 mg of salt a day seem to have a higher chance of heart problems or dying from them.
For people with heart disease, the more potassium their body gets rid of in urine, the higher their blood pressure tends to be — every extra gram of potassium excreted per day raises systolic pressure by about 1 point and diastolic by about 0.6 points, which is the opposite of what doctors usually expect.