Replacing regular table salt with a potassium-enriched alternative could prevent nearly three million deaths and more than 10 million cases of heart and kidney disease worldwide every year, according to a major study published in Nature Health.
Researchers at the Australia-based George Institute for Global Health analyzed dietary patterns and disease risks among 4.6 billion adults across 193 countries to estimate the potential benefits of the switch.
The study relied on mathematical simulations rather than a clinical trial, using estimates that can vary in accuracy, the researchers acknowledged.
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High blood pressure affects roughly 1.4 billion adults worldwide and is a leading cause of strokes, heart attacks and chronic kidney damage, according to the World Health Organization.
Consuming too much salt can contribute to high blood pressure, as its sodium content causes the body to retain water, increasing blood volume and putting added pressure on artery walls.
Potassium-enriched salt replaces some sodium with potassium while looking, tasting and cooking like regular salt. The swap reduces sodium intake while boosting potassium, which helps relax blood vessels and promotes the removal of excess sodium from the body, according to the researchers.
If households replaced only the salt used in home cooking and at the dining table, the model projected 1.85 million fewer deaths and 6.19 million fewer new cases of heart and kidney disease annually.
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In another scenario, replacing salt only in restaurant meals and processed foods was projected to prevent about 1.56 million deaths and 5.46 million new disease cases annually.
In a more targeted scenario, researchers projected that switching 80% of adults with diagnosed high blood pressure to potassium-enriched household salt could prevent about 590,000 deaths worldwide each year.
The projected benefits varied by region, depending on population size and sources of dietary sodium. The largest potential benefit was seen in China, with an estimated 1.08 million deaths averted each year under full replacement.
India followed with nearly 400,000 preventable deaths, while the U.S. could potentially avoid roughly 105,000 deaths and 492,000 new disease cases annually.
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In many Asian and African countries, most dietary salt comes from home cooking, suggesting that greater awareness and access to potassium-enriched alternatives could encourage healthier habits, according to the researchers.
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Broader adoption by food manufacturers and restaurants would be needed to maximize the health benefits in Western countries, where more than 70% of dietary sodium comes from processed and restaurant foods, the study suggested.
"This study shows that small changes have an enormous impact on two prominent diseases globally: cardiovascular disease and kidney disease," Dr. Nathan Goodyear of the Williams Cancer Institute in California told Fox News Digital.
Goodyear, who was not involved in the study, said the bigger take-home message is that health is "not something that we’re just born with."
"It’s something that we cultivate. It’s the environment we cultivate," he said. "And this environment influences the potential for disease harvest long before disease is diagnosed."
While the study's models suggested that the heart health benefits outweighed the risks for the overall population, experts cautioned that the substitute may not be safe for everyone.
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Potassium-enriched salt substitutes can also pose risks, including hyperkalemia, a condition in which excess potassium builds up in the blood and can trigger dangerous irregular heart rhythms, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
The body normally removes excess potassium through urine, but people with advanced kidney disease or those taking certain blood pressure medications may have difficulty eliminating it.
The World Health Organization advises against potassium-enriched salt substitutes for people with kidney problems that impair potassium removal, unless recommended by a healthcare professional.
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"We’re constantly in medicine looking for the magic bullet in causation, magic bullet in disease treatment, [but] that does not exist," said Goodyear.
Chronic diseases such as heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and cancer often develop over time due to multiple contributing factors, the doctor noted.
Widespread adoption could also face challenges, as potassium-enriched salt costs about twice as much as regular salt on average and would require cooperation from food manufacturers and suppliers, according to the researchers.
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