new South Wales [Australia]January 26 (ANI): An international panel of experts published a recommendation in the scientific journal Hypertension, published by the American Heart Association, calling for the inclusion of low-sodium potassium-enriched salt in hypertension therapy guidelines.
High levels of sodium intake and low levels of potassium intake are widespread, and both are associated with high blood pressure (hypertension) and greater risk of stroke, heart disease, and premature death. Using salt substitutes where part of the sodium chloride is replaced with potassium chloride solves both problems simultaneously.
Professor Alta Schutte at The George Institute for Global Health and UNSW Sydney said that despite data from randomized controlled trials demonstrating the health benefits of potassium-rich, sodium-reduced salt alternatives, they are rarely used.
“We found that current clinical guidelines offer incomplete and inconsistent recommendations regarding the use of these salt substitutes,” they said.
“Given the abundance of available evidence, we feel it is time to include salt alternatives in treatment guidelines to help address the rising rates of uncontrolled hypertension worldwide and reduce preventable deaths.” has come.”
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 food taste less salty, switching to potassium-rich salt is a no-brainer for 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 continue using potassium-enriched salt overcomes that obstacle, which is why it Could be a game-changer,” Professor Schutte added.
A global collaboration of researchers from the US, Australia, Japan, South Africa and India reviewed 32 different hypertension treatment guidelines published between January 1, 2013 and June 21, 2023 – two from global organizations, five from regional organizations and 25 From country organizations.
They found that all guidelines refer 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 to use potassium-enriched salt.
Dr. Tom Frieden, president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a global public health organization focused on preventing 100 million deaths from heart disease, said the number of people living with high blood pressure has doubled over the past 30 years to about 1.3 It has become a billion.
He said, “High blood pressure kills more than ten million people every year – about 20 people every minute. Twenty percent of these deaths can be linked to a single culprit: eating too much salt.” “Based on the evidence, there is no doubt that most patients with high blood pressure and their families should reduce total salt intake and, when salt must be consumed, they should switch from regular salt to potassium-enriched salt. This will help reduce blood pressure and prevent serious complications like stroke and untimely death.”
Dr. Frieden stressed the need for change in our food environment. “As a society, we must prioritize the accessibility and availability of low-sodium, potassium-enriched salt – at home, in restaurants, and in grocery stores. These products should not be marketed or priced as luxuries .Low-sodium, potassium-enriched salt may become the new default.”
Another barrier to its consumption is the concern about causing elevated levels of potassium in the blood (hyperkalemia) in people with advanced kidney disease.
Professor Bruce Neill, executive director of The George Institute Australia and professor of clinical epidemiology at Imperial College London, said it was clear that patients with advanced kidney disease should not use potassium-enriched salt, but this was a very small part of the population. applies to. , and these patients are already advised to avoid salt intake.
“No serious harm from hyperkalemia has been reported in any trials to date, although all were conducted in clinical settings. Our recommendation for use in hypertension is when being managed by a health care worker based on patients. Health care workers know not to recommend potassium-enriched salts because of the presence of kidney disease and the risks for these patients may be avoided.”
The authors argued that since potassium-enriched salt is one of the few dietary interventions that patients comply with over the long term, it is logical to consider the use of potassium-enriched salt at least for all people with hypertension.
“We strongly encourage clinical guideline bodies to review their recommendations regarding the use of potassium-enriched salt substitutes as soon as possible – if the world is to use potassium-enriched salt instead of regular salt If stopped, millions of strokes and heart attacks could be prevented every year. Low cost,” Professor Schutte said. (ANI)
