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ChinaScience

Swapping salt for substitute cuts rates of stroke, heart attack and death, study finds

  • Researchers tracked nearly 21,000 people across rural China over five years
  • Millions of early deaths could be prevented if substitutes widely adopted, lead author says

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Instead of using salt, some study participants were given a substitute that contained less sodium and more potassium. Photo: Nicholas Ko
Holly Chik
Swapping table salt for a substitute with less sodium and more potassium has been found to reduce the incidence of stroke, heart attack and death, according to a five-year study in rural China.
Starting in 2015, the researchers led by The George Institute for Global Health Australia began tracking nearly 21,000 people from 600 Chinese villages. All of those who took part had a history of stroke or were aged over 60 and had poorly controlled high blood pressure.

For those who used the salt substitute, stroke risk was reduced by 14 per cent, according to the peer-reviewed study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Sunday.

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The risk of stroke and heart attack combined was lowered by 13 per cent, while the risk of premature death was reduced by 12 per cent.

Regular salt contains 100 per cent sodium chloride, while the substitute was three-quarters sodium chloride and a quarter potassium chloride, the researchers said. The study found no apparent serious adverse effects from the salt substitute, which is known to lower blood pressure.

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The team said the switch would be “practical and low-cost”. Salt substitute is sold at about US$1.60 per kg in China, compared to around US$1.10 for regular salt.

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