The world has just received new salt advice. Here’s what you need to know. : Sciencedeert

This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) has published new guidelines recommending people to change the ordinary salt they use at home for substitutes containing less sodium.

But what exactly are these salt alternatives? And why does the one who recommends this? Let’s take a look.

A new solution to an old problem

Tips for eating less salt (sodium chloride) is not new. It has been part of international and Australian guidelines for decades. Indeed, evidence clearly shows that sodium in salt can harm our health when we eat too much.

Excess sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure, which affects millions of Australians (about one in three adults). High blood pressure (hypertension) in turn increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease, among other conditions.

WHO estimates that 1.9 million deaths worldwide can be attributed to eat too much salt.

WHO recommends consuming more than 2 g of sodium per day. However, people eat an average of more than double this, about 4.3 GA days.

In 2013, WHO Member States undertook to reduce the consumption of population sodium by 30% by 2025. But the reduction in salt consumption has proven very difficult. Most countries, including Australia, will not reach the objective of the WHO to reduce sodium intake by 2025. WHO has set the same target for 2030.

The difficulty is that eating less salt means accepting a less salty taste. It also requires changes for established means to prepare food. It turned out to be asked too much for people who make food at home and too much for the food industry.

Enter the enriched potassium salt

The main substitute for lower sodium salt is called potassium salt. It is salt where part of sodium chloride has been replaced by potassium chloride.

Potassium is an essential mineral, playing a key role in all the functions of the body. The high potassium content of fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the main reasons why they are so good for you. While people eat more sodium than they should, many do not get potassium enough.

The WHO recommends a daily potassium intake of 3. 5G, but overall, people in most countries consume much less than that.

Potassium salt benefits our health by reducing the amount of sodium we consume and increasing the amount of potassium in our diet. Both help lower blood pressure.

It has been shown that the regular change in salt for potassium salt reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke and premature death in major trials around the world.

Modeling studies have provided that population changes to the use of potassium salt would prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths by cardiovascular disease (such as heart attack and strokes) each year in China and in India.

The key advantage of switching rather than cutting salt intake is that potassium salt can be used as a direct exchange of one for ordinary salt. It looks like it, works for seasoning and recipes, and most people not notice any significant difference in taste.

In the largest salt trial enriched in potassium to date, more than 90% of people still used the product after five years.

Change: some challenges

If it is fully implemented, it could be one of the most substantial advice that ever provided.

Millions of brain vascular accidents and heart attacks could be prevented worldwide each year with a simple passage to the way we prepare food. But there are some obstacles to overcome before reaching this point.

First, it will be important to balance the advantages and risks. For example, people with advanced kidney disease do not manage potassium well and therefore these products do not suit them. This is only a small proportion of the population, but we must make sure that potassium salt products are labeled with appropriate warnings.

A key challenge will be to make the salt enriched with potassium more affordable and accessible. Potassium chloride is more expensive to produce than sodium chloride, and today, potassium salt is mainly sold as a niche health product at a high -end price.

If you are looking for it, salt substitutes can also be called a low sodium, potassium salt, heart salt, mineral salt or reduced sodium salt.

A journal published in 2021 revealed that weak sodium salts have been marketed in only 47 countries, mainly high income. Prices varied from the same thing as ordinary salt at almost 15 times higher.

An enlarged supply chain that produces much more food quality potassium chloride will be necessary to allow greater product availability. And we have to see salt enriched with potassium on the shelves next to ordinary salt, so it is easy for people to find.

In countries like Australia, around 80% of the salt we eat comes from processed foods. The WHO directive does not become explicitly prioritizing a salt switch used in the manufacture of food.

Stakeholders working with the government to encourage absorption of the food industry will be essential to maximize health benefits.

Xiaoyue (Luna) XUProfessor Scientia, Population Health School, Unsw Sydney and Bruce Neal, Executive Director, George Institute Australia, George Institute for Global Health

This article is republished from the conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.