Hypertension is a major, yet rather silent, ailment.  Some  estimated 1.4 billion adults aged 30–79 worldwide had hypertension in 2024, fully  one-third of the global population in that age range. About 600 million of these individuals (44%) are unaware they have the condition, and two-thirds of those with hypertension live in low- and middle-income countries.

Salt aggravates hypertension —   by causing the body to retain excess fluid, which increases blood volume and raises pressure against vessel walls.   This is why doctors prescribe low-salt diets for those with high blood pressure, and urge use of salt substitutes.

Potassium chloride is a leading substitute, because it mimics salt, sodium chloride.  Yet salt substitutes, which can save lives and prevent, e.g., strokes, are greatly underused.

Yinying Wei led a study presented to the American Heart Association’s hypertension conference last year, showing that “overall less than 6% of US adults use salt substitutes, even though they are inexpensive and can be an effective strategy to help people control blood pressure, especially people with difficult-to-treat high blood pressure.” *

* Wei, Y., Abraham, J., Sandon, L., Wang, J., Price, A., Giacona, J. M., & Vongpatanasin, W. (2026). Trends in Salt Substitute Use Among Adults in the United States from 2003 to 2020. Hypertension, 83(3), e26196.

Ironically, underuse of potassium chloride also deprives the body of lifegiving potassium.  Potassium is essential for health, acting as an electrolyte that regulates heart rhythm, muscle contractions, and nerve signals while helping to maintain healthy blood pressure by balancing sodium levels. A diet rich in potassium helps reduce the risk of stroke and kidney stones.

Here are the leading salt substitute brands:  NoSalt:  Nu-Salt:  Morton Salt Substitute:  LoSalt:  MySALT:  Benson’s    Table Tasty:  SaltWise.   Some are low salt, rather than no salt.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)