potassium reduces cardiovascular mortality
Sodium is a potassium depletor, so rather than recommending the
potassium-enriched salt mentioned in this study, I have been
coaching clients to replace the table and cooking salt with
potassium and allow incidental sodium in processed food etc to be
their main, if not sole, salt source. I’ve also been coaching
pople to NOT use salt-c for Lyme disease without supplementing a
lot of potassium, because some people are showing symptoms of
potassium depletion (it ain’t a herx effect).
Summary:
In a multi-center, randomized, controlled trial involving 1,981
elderly men (average age: 74.8 years), replacing regular table
salt with a potassium-enriched salt was found to improve
cardiovascular disease (CVD) survivorship, increase length of
life, and reduce spending on inpatient care for CVD.
Subjects, veterans in a retirement home, were randomly divided
into two groups for a period of 31 months. One group
(experimental group, n=768) replaced regular table salt with
potassium-enriched salt, while the other group (control group,
n=1,213) continued to consume regular table salt. Information on
death, health insurance claims, and dates when subjects moved
into or out of the retirement home was collected.
Results found that subjects in the experimental group had a
significantly reduced incidence of CVD mortality, compared with
subjects in the control group. While in the experimental group,
the incidence of CVD-related death was 13.1 per 1,000 persons, in
the control g roup, the incidence was 20.5 per 1,000. After
adjusting for age, the hazard ratio for CVD mortality among
subjects in the experimental group was 0.59, compared to subjects
in the control group. Furthermore, subjects in the experimental
group were found to live 0.3 to 0.90 years longer than subjects
in the control group. Finally, after controlling for age and
previous hospitalization expenditures, subjects in the
experimental group were found to spend significantly less money
on inpatient care for CVD, as compared to the control group.
The results of this study suggest that elderly men may
significantly benefit from replacing regular table salt in the
diet with a potassium-enriched salt. These beneficial effects may
relate to the increase in potassium and the decrease in sodium
intakes.
Reference:
Effect of potassium-enriched salt on cardiovascular mortality and
medical expenses of elderly men
Chang HY, Hu YW, et al, Am J Clin Nutr, 2006; 83(6): 1289-96.