Potassium-enriched salt substitutes nationwide in China are estimated to have significant population health benefits

Published in the British Medical Journal, Markland et al used comparative risk assessment models to estimate the effects of nationwide replacement of discretionary salt with a potassium-enriched salt substitute on morbidity and death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults living in China. Additionally, a separate model was conducted to estimate harms related to salt substitute use in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Accounting for both benefits and harms, the net effect of the intervention was estimated in the total population and specifically in those with CKD. The study found that by implementing a nationwide potassium-enriched salt substitute, the “net effect would be about 450 000 (183 699 to 697 084) fewer deaths annually from cardiovascular disease in the overall population and 21 000 (1928 to 42 926) fewer deaths in individuals with chronic kidney disease”. Read more here.