Sodium and chloride found in table salt are essential minerals the body needs to function healthily. The problem is that salt is being added in massive quantities to processed food, so many inadvertently consume more than they should. In the meanwhile, the intake of another important mineral, potassium, decreased , as processed food only contains limited quantities of it. These two factors, especially the limited intake of potassium can increase blood pressure and the risk of accompanying cardiovascular diseases.  

On the basis of this, an immense study including nearly 21000 participants has been conducted to test what happens if elderly people with high blood pressure replace traditional table salt with salt containing potassium-chloride, simultaneously decreasing their sodium and increasing their potassium intake. Participants from over 600 locations were selected and divided into two groups, one of which switched  table salt for salt with 25% potassium-chloride content  provided for free.  

This simple switch which can be done by anyone easily and cost-effectively, proved to be immensely successful. Five years after the start of the study, the risk of stroke decreased by 14%, the risk of other serious cardiovascular episodes by 13%, and mortality by 12% in consumers of potassium-salt. The frequency of issues related to higher potassium intake only increased by 4%, which affected fewer participants to begin with. 

By replacing table salt, the life of millions of people around the world could be prolonged, as high blood pressure and its complications are among the leading causes of death to this day. The switch could be easily done, as the replacement is very cheap, and nobody’s dietary habits need to change.