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Potassium-Enriched Salt – A Guide For Healthcare Professionals

Season With Sense Campaign Publication Launch

Excessive sodium intake is a major contributor to death and cardiovascular disease globally. It is the leading dietary risk factor for premature death, contributing to over 1.9 million deaths in 2021^*. Reducing global sodium intake is critical.

Over the last three years we have campaigned in collaboration with leading health organisations, charities, chefs and medical professionals to educate and inspire consumers to reduce their sodium intake for better health. But for many people, lowering the amount of sodium in their diet remains challenging, both in home and out of home.

Most dietary sodium is consumed in the form of salt – the ubiquitous seasoning. It is intrinsic in the food we buy, and its use at home is habitual. And it can be fashionable. In recent years chefs have created a popularity for sea and rock salts both with manufacturers and aspirational home cooks – be under no illusion: these salts contain the same amount of sodium as regular salt.

Sodium reduction efforts to date have focussed on two main areas:

1. Reformulation – asking manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt they use in making their products
2. Education – asking people to
3. 1. learn to cook with less salt
   2. train taste buds to accept less seasoning
   3. read food labels prior to purchasing foods and opt for lower in salt options

But it’s not making enough impact. The global population is consuming more than double the maximum recommended intake of sodium, increasing our risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. A new approach is imperative –changing the type of salt we use through a switch to reduced-sodium / potassium-enriched salt.

Replacing regular salt with potassium-enriched salt (also termed as ‘salt substitute’, ‘reduced-sodium salt’ or ‘lower-sodium salt’) has been shown through many clinical trials to have a positive impact on population blood pressure, reducing incidence of stroke, cardiovascular disease and premature death. It is a product where a proportion of sodium chloride is replaced with potassium chloride and can be used as a direct, one-for-one switch for regular table, sea or rock salts, without affecting taste or functionality.

Dr Katrina Kissock, Research Fellow and Accredited Practising Dietitian at The George Institute for Global Health, said, “Potassium-enriched salt is a game-changer for addressing some of the biggest preventable global health problems. The health benefits of potassium-enriched salt are well established and switching in the home offers a practical way to lower blood pressure and reduce cases and deaths from heart disease and stroke.”

We are calling on healthcare professionals to play an important role in this dietary intervention by recommending the use of potassium-enriched salts to patients. There is growing consensus across the globe including from the World Heart Federation, World Action on Salt and Health, The George Institute for Global Health, and Resolve To Save Lives on the need to push for the switch to potassium-enriched salt.

To support healthcare professionals in recommending potassium-enriched salt, we have created a guide discussing the health benefits, safety considerations, and ease of use for potassium-enriched salt. By taking this lead, we can shift away from treating high blood pressure to prevention.

Download guide here: Download

*Diet – Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (https://www.healthdata.org/research-analysis/health-risks-issues/diet)