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Managing our blood pressure is no longer a complex act, as many salt substitutes focus on reducing the sodium chloride intake.
Despite growing awareness of sodium and its excess consumption aggravating hypertension, the salt substitutes are alarmingly underutilised.
In a busy world with compromised diets and lifestyles, the number of blood pressure patients is growing rapidly, even as managing the blood flow and heart health is not as complex an exercise as we may believe. One might experience life-transforming results by something as simple as reducing their salt intake or swapping brands.
Despite growing awareness of sodium and its excess consumption aggravating hypertension, the salt substitutes are alarmingly underutilised.
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According to a thorough analysis presented by researchers in the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2025, less than 5 per cent of US residents take salt substitutes in their regular food consumption. The analysis revealed a shocking ignorance among Americans of these substitutes, even as the researchers believe they are capable of significantly influencing our blood pressure levels.
Study On Salt Substitutes
The researchers analysed the data collected from 37,080 American adults, who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2003 and 2020. The NHANES survey was a nationally representative programme that monitored the eating patterns and overall blood pressure levels of local Americans.
When asked which salt they intake, the respondents came up with answers divided into three categories: (a) the regular salt, including iodised, sea salt, and kosher varieties, (b) no salt and (c) salt substitutes, made out of potassium chloride that fully or partially replaces the sodium found in regular salt.
Reluctance Towards Salt Substitutes
After monitoring data, researchers carefully observed individuals with elevated blood pressure and also other individuals who had healthy blood flow and kidneys, with no medicines interfering with potassium. It was found that the usage of salt substitutes was at its highest back in 2013-14 at 5.4 per cent, but fell to a low of 2.5 per cent by early 2020, just before the data collection was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic and medical restrictions.
Even among the adults whom the doctors deemed safe to intake these substitutes, the usage ranged between 2.3 per cent and 5.1 per cent only. While individuals who were either treated already or undergoing one for hypertension utilised salt substitutes at a healthier rate, within untreated hypertensives or even people with normal blood pressure, the intake barely went past 5.6 per cent.
About the Author
Nishad Thaivalappil is a Lifestyle and Entertainment Journalist with almost a decade-long odyssey in the realms of movies, music, culture, food, and travel. He leads the Lifestyle desk at News18.com. Besides ha…Read More
Nishad Thaivalappil is a Lifestyle and Entertainment Journalist with almost a decade-long odyssey in the realms of movies, music, culture, food, and travel. He leads the Lifestyle desk at News18.com. Besides ha… Read More
October 03, 2025, 09:33 IST
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