A groundbreaking international study has revealed that potassium-enriched salt could be a game-changer in stroke prevention and management. Researchers found that replacing regular salt with a potassium salt substitute can reduce stroke recurrence by 14% and stroke-related deaths by 21%. The study, involving over 15,000 participants in China, supports the World Health Organization's recent recommendations for dietary salt modifications. These findings offer a simple, low-cost intervention that could potentially save millions of lives globally by addressing sodium and potassium intake.
"Salt
substitution was safe, with reduced risks of stroke recurrence and death"
- JAMA Cardiology Research Team
Potassium
supplements in salt can significantly reduce the risks of stroke recurrence as
well as death, according to an international study.
Key
Points
1
International study shows potassium salt reduces stroke risks
2
15,249 participants demonstrate significant health benefits
3
WHO recommends potassium chloride for heart health
4 K-salt lowers blood pressure and cardiovascular risks
The study comes amidst the new recommendation by the World
Health Organization (WHO) to take potassium-enriched salt to combat
hypertension and related heart risks.
Stroke
is a leading cause of death and disability, and recurrent events remain a major
concern. High sodium intake and low potassium intake are considered key risk
factors.
"The
study suggests that potassium salt substitute significantly reduced the risks
of stroke recurrence and death, and is a novel and practical therapeutic option
for patients with stroke," said the researchers, including from China,
Australia, and the UK.
The
randomised clinical trial involved 15,249 participants from China who had
previously reported suffering from a stroke.
The
participants were assigned to use either a salt substitute, consisting of 75
per cent sodium chloride and 25 per cent potassium chloride by mass, or regular
salt.
The
findings, published in JAMA Cardiology, showed that recurrent stroke was
reduced by 14 per cent in the potassium substitute group compared with those in
the regular salt group.
A
total of 2,735 recurrent stroke events occurred, with 691 fatal and 2,044
nonfatal episodes.
Haemorrhagic
stroke showed a 30 per cent relative reduction, and stroke-related deaths
decreased by 21 per cent. The researchers also found no meaningful difference
in hyperkalemia (high potassium levels) between groups.
"Results
of this cluster trial demonstrate that salt substitution was safe, along with
reduced risks of stroke recurrence and death, which underscores large health
gains from scaling up this low-cost intervention among patients with
stroke," the researchers said.
The
WHO, in its recent guideline, suggests using K-salt or potassium chloride
instead of regular table salt, which is rich in sodium. The K-salt may help
reduce the risk of hypertension, which can lead to cardiovascular diseases
(CVDs) and chronic kidney disease, by lowering blood pressure.
It
also lowers the risks of other conditions associated with high sodium intake,
such as gastric cancer.
As
per the WHO, every year, 80 Lakh people die due to poor diet. Of these, 19 lakh
deaths are attributable to high sodium intake.
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