Using less salt in your food may seem boring, but the payoffs could be as big as a lowered risk of death, new research has found.
With two-thirds of the findings coming from China, the authors "were surprised at how little salt substitution research has been conducted outside Asian countries," Albarqouni said. "This is partially why we have graded the evidence as 'low to very low certainty' for Western populations - there simply isn't enough evidence to verify that salt substitutes would be as effective in the Western context.
The trials compared the use of common salt - made of about 100% sodium chloride, occasionally with added iodine - with using a salt substitute comprised of 25% to 30% potassium chloride and 60% to 75% sodium chloride. And "while we know potassium is beneficial, salt is salt," Freeman, who wasn't involved in the study, added. "If it's sodium chloride or potassium chloride or magnesium chloride, it's all salt. And the best way to get potassium in your body is to eat fruits and vegetables - that's where potassium is most plentiful.
When buying packaged food, check the sodium content on labels. Some foods can contain more sodium than you think, such as poultry or cereals, Freeman said. One standard-size pickle typically has around 1,500 milligrams of salt, he added.
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