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News for Salt Lovers By Maureen Williams, ND Healthnotes Newswire (August
3, 2006)—Senior men might be able to prevent heart disease and increase their
life span by switching from regular table salt (sodium chloride) to a
potassium-enriched salt. High blood pressure, a
common health concern among seniors, makes people more likely to have a stroke
and to develop coronary artery disease, a condition that can lead to heart
attack. Many studies have found a link between a high-sodium diet and high blood
pressure, but some have not. Studies that look at population trends have found
that in places where sodium intake is generally high, such as in Asian
societies, blood pressure tends to increase with age, whereas in places where
sodium intake is generally low, this trend is not seen. A low-sodium diet has been
shown to protect against high blood pressure in elderly people. A high-potassium
diet has also been shown to be beneficial in reducing the incidence of high
blood pressure and the risk of stroke. Sodium occurs in small
amounts in vegetables and fruits, but in this form it is balanced with high
amounts of naturally occurring potassium. Most dietary sodium comes from salt
that is added to processed foods in which it vastly outweighs the small amount
of potassium the food might contain. The new report comes from
the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In the study, the kitchen staff at
ten large nursing facilities for elderly veterans in Taiwan were assigned to
cook with either regular salt (99.6% sodium chloride and 0.4% other additives)
or a potassium-enriched salt (49% sodium chloride, 49% potassium chloride, and
2% other additives) for about three and a half years. Although sodium intake
from condiments such as soy sauce and ketchup was not limited, this was found to
account for only about 30% of their dietary salt while the rest was from
cooking. The men who ate from the
kitchens using potassium-enriched salt were about 40% less likely to die from
cardiovascular disease than the men who ate from the kitchens using regular
salt. Medical costs associated with heart disease treatment were also
significantly lower in those who ate food salted with potassium-enriched salt.
Finally, those eating the potassium-enriched salt were less likely to die from
all causes during the study, though this effect was small, and they lived longer
on average than their counterparts eating regular salt. “The present study showed
a long-term effect on cardiovascular disease mortality and medical expenditure
associated with lowering the sodium-to-potassium ratio,” the authors
concluded. “The effect may primarily be due to the increase in potassium
intake, because the sodium reduction achieved was moderate.” Based on these findings, a
potassium-enriched table salt could be considered a tool in the effort to devise
a palatable diet that is lower in sodium and richer in potassium than the usual
diet of many elderly men. Nevertheless, the importance of including lots of
potassium-rich foods—fruits such as bananas, oranges, grapefruit, peaches,
nectarines, and berries, and vegetables such as sweet potato, squash, broccoli,
tomato, and leafy greens—should not be overlooked. It should be noted that
people with kidney disease should not use a potassium-enriched salt without
consulting their healthcare providers. (Am J Clin Nutr
2006;83:1289–96) Maureen Williams, ND,
received her bachelor’s degree from the
Note: The FDA
has not evaluated these statements. This product is not intended to diagnose,
treat, cure or prevent any disease. |