No increase seen in incidence of hypotension episodes with replacement of salt by potassium-enriched substitute<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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MONDAY, Feb. 12, 2024 (HealthDay News) — For older adults with normal blood pressure, replacing usual salt with a potassium-enriched salt substitute can reduce the incidence of hypertension without increasing the incidence of hypotension, according to a study published in the Feb. 20 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology<\/em>.<\/p>\n Xianghui Zhang, from Peking University First Hospital in Beijing, and colleagues assessed the effects of a salt substitute (62.5 percent NaCl, 25 percent KCl, and 12.5 percent flavorings) on the incidence of hypertension and hypotension among older adults with normal blood pressure in a post hoc analysis of a trial conducted at 48 elderly care facilities. The usual-salt group included 298 participants and the salt substitute group included 313 older adults.<\/p>\n The researchers found that the salt substitute group had a lower incidence of hypertension than the usual-salt group (11.7 versus 24.3 per 100 person-years; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.60), but the incidence of hypotension episodes did not increase. From baseline to the end of intervention, there was no increase observed in mean systolic\/diastolic blood pressure in the salt substitute group, while an increase was seen in the usual-salt group (7.0 \u00c2\u00b1 14.3\/2.1 \u00c2\u00b1 7.5 mm Hg) resulting in a net reduction of \u00e2\u0088\u00928.00 mg and \u00e2\u0088\u00922.00 mm Hg in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively, between the groups.<\/p>\n “The results suggest that salt substitution brings about only benefits but no harm, providing further evidence to support the use of potassium-enriched salt substitute as a population-wide strategy for sodium reduction in the prevention and control of hypertension and cardiovascular disease in China,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n