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- A brand new research finds that consuming salt substitutes as an alternative of desk salt can cut back the chance of cardiovascular occasions and all-cause loss of life.
- The salt substitute researchers examined additionally contained extra potassium, which can partially clarify its well being advantages.
- However, the research analyzes information from research performed largely in China, and its applicability to Western populations is just not clear attributable to variations between the East and West in the best way meals is ready and consumed.
Even although it’s broadly recognized that extreme sodium consumption is related to cardiovascular disease and mortality, many individuals proceed to devour unhealthy quantities of salt — sodium chloride — of their meals. One technique for persevering with to fulfill one’s style for salty meals whereas decreasing well being dangers is the usage of salt substitutes.
A brand new research from Bond University in Australia finds that the usage of salt substitutes can lead to a decrease incidence of heart problems and a diminished danger of loss of life from any trigger for as much as 10 years.
Salt substitutes are usually a combination containing decrease quantities of sodium and elevated ranges of potassium.
The research analyzes the outcomes of 16 randomized managed trials (RCTs). Of these, eight reported incidences of main cardiovascular occasions, and all-cause mortality for six months or better. Seven of the eight RCTs had been performed in China and Taiwan. The remaining RCTs tracked hypertension, cause-specific mortality, and efficient urinary excretion after six months.
The research is printed in Annals of Internal Medicine.
While the research’s findings are possible relevant to individuals residing in Asia, they will not be as related to Western populations.
The research’s first writer, Hannah Greenwood, PhD, BPsychSc, analysis assistant at Bond University in Australia, identified the preponderance of knowledge within the research got here from Asian RTCs.
“While salt substitutes may still benefit Western populations, the currently available research evidence cannot confirm this because the data is not available. This is partially why the ‘certainty of evidence’ for our findings is graded as ‘low’ or ‘very low,’” she mentioned.
Greenwood additionally famous that sodium consumption follows completely different patterns within the East and West.
“In the research populations,” she mentioned, “salt consumption tends to be discretionary. That is, it is largely driven by salt added to food, which is only partially from added table salt, but also soy sauce and other condiments.”
Within the research inhabitants, meals preparation extra typically happens within the residence, the place including sodium is a aware selection.
“In Western populations, salt consumption is more driven by processed, packaged, and takeaway/restaurant food,” Greenwood mentioned.
Jayne Morgan, MD, heart specialist and the Executive Director of Health and Community Education on the Piedmont Healthcare Corporation in Atlanta, GA, who was not concerned within the research, famous the pervasiveness of sodium within the typical Western eating regimen.
“Not only do many [Western] processed foods inherently contain salt, but often contain salt as a preservative as well as a flavor enhancer. This includes meats, etc., bought at supermarkets that are pre-seasoned,” Morgan mentioned.
Snack meals additionally usually comprise excessive quantities of sodium.
Still, Morgan felt the research is “definitely food for thought, as here in the U.S., we know that we are consuming too much sodium in our diets, but do not appear to be willing to give up the flavor. This, despite the hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and increased cardiovascular disease.”
The added potassium within the research inhabitants’s salt substitutes can also be an element within the improved well being outcomes noticed.
“Potassium is essential for the balance of the electrical system of the heart, including heart muscle contraction and relaxation. It plays a role in the interplay of sodium and potassium in regulating blood pressure,” defined Morgan.
She additionally famous that one can ingest an excessive amount of potassium, resulting in
Senior investigator of the research, Loai Albarqouni, MD, PhD, MSc, assistant professor at Bond University in Australia, mentioned it’s laborious to say how a lot additional potassium research individuals acquired.
“This is difficult to quantify as our study did not examine whether it is the decreased sodium alone that is driving the effect, or whether the increased potassium has additional benefit,” he mentioned.
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“In this area of China, people known to have lower potassium values, and so any increase might be beneficial but not push them into the range of hyperkalemia,” Morgan identified.
“So while our research doesn’t allow us to estimate the contribution of added potassium to the effect,” mentioned Albarqouni, “we suspect that it plays a part.”
The RCTs investigated desk salt substitutes as an alternative of soy sauce substitutes that extra generally add salty flavorings in Asia.
Greenwood defined that this was as a result of “there are currently no commercially available soy sauce products that have been similarly formulated to have reduced sodium and added potassium, although reduced sodium products already exist.”
She famous that many condiments, together with soy sauce, utilized in Asia comprise excessive ranges of sodium, “so creation of and research into ‘salt substitute’ condiments may be worthwhile.”
As with any meta-study, there have been variations between the RTCs included that restricted the vary of its findings.
Albarqouni talked about “differences between our population of interest — Western, average cardiovascular risk — and the original research context, largely non-Western, higher than average cardiovascular risk, which affect generalizability of the results.”
“Other limitations include variations in methodological quality of the included studies and variation in how salt substitution was conducted between different studies,” he mentioned.
“It’s important to remember that salt substitutes are not a holy grail to ending cardiovascular disease,” mentioned Greenwood.
“There are many factors other than sodium intake that contribute to cardiovascular health, including smoking, diet, and exercise. There are also many other ways to reduce sodium intake, such as going for whole/unprocessed home-prepared food over processed or takeaway food. For someone looking for an easy way to reduce their sodium intake, without breaking the habit of adding salt to their food, using a salt substitute is a great option.”
— Hannah Greenwood
Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, preventive cardiology dietitian at EntirelyNourished.com, who was additionally not concerned within the research, advised some salt substitutes.
“Low-salt alternatives to soy sauce can include coconut aminos or a homemade soy sauce using ingredients like balsamic vinegar, honey, ginger powder and sesame oil,” she mentioned.
Diet can also be not the one approach to shield your coronary heart, mentioned Routhenstein. “Other strategies to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease include focusing on adding in foods to your diet in appropriate volumes that improve blood vessel health and cardiometabolic risk factors.”
These danger elements embrace high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and irritation.
“Engaging in regular physical activity, and implementing stress reduction techniques can also promote cardiovascular health,” Routhenstein mentioned.
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