A salt substitute for hypertension – can it improve blood pressure management?

This study investigated if a salt substitute (SS) improves blood pressure (BP) control in patients with hypertension.  

They found that the SS may reduce BP and medication use.

Hypertension or high blood pressure (BP) is a common condition. It increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). It also increases the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack or stroke. Dietary adjustment is one way to reduce BP. Usually, reducing salt intake is the first recommendation to lower BP. More than 50% of hypertensive patients have excessive salt intake. 

A salt substitute (SS) can be used in the diet to reduce salt intake. An SS is lower in sodium. Some SSs replace some of the sodium with potassium. Man Li Kang (MLK) is a new SS with 18% sodium chloride. It is unclear if MLK-SS can improve BP control in hypertensive patients. 

This study included 39 patients with hypertension. All patients were given the MLK SS. Patients were told to use the SS as they normally would use salt. Systolic (SBP; the first reading of BP values) and diastolic BP (DBP; the second reading of BP values) were evaluated. Patients were followed up weekly for a total of 8 weeks. Patients continued with their medication as directed by their doctor. 

Both SBP and DBP were significantly lower after MLK SS. 30.8% of patients reduced or stopped taking BP-lowering drugs during the study. BP did not rise in patients that reduced/stopped BP-lowering drugs during the study.

The use of MLK SS was associated with a 16 mmHg lower SBP and a 5.5 mmHg lower DBP in patients that did not change BP-lowering drugs. Urine sodium was also lower at the end of the study. No serious adverse events were reported. 

The authors concluded that the salt substitute may reduce BP and medication use in hypertensive patients.

The number of patients in this study was low. The MLK SS was not compared to a control treatment. This means we cannot be sure that the BP-lowering effect was due to MLK SS. Larger studies are needed.  

If you have any concerns regarding hypertension management, please consult with your doctor.