American College of Cardiology
Summary: According to a recent study, replacing table salt with a salt substitute can reduce the incidence of high blood pressure in older adults without increasing the risk of low blood pressure episodes. People who used a salt substitute were 40% less likely to experience hypertension compared to those who used regular salt. |
The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology .
According to the World Health Organization, high blood pressure is the main risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. It affects more than 1.4 billion adults and causes 10.8 million deaths annually worldwide. One of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of hypertension is to reduce sodium intake. This study looks at salt substitutes as a better solution for controlling and maintaining healthy blood pressure than reducing salt alone.
"Adults frequently fall into the trap of consuming excess salt through easily accessible and inexpensive processed foods ," said Yangfeng Wu, MD, PhD, lead author of the study and executive director of the University’s Clinical Research Institute. of Peking in Beijing, China. "It is crucial to recognize the impact of our dietary choices on heart health and increase public awareness about low-sodium options."
Researchers in this study evaluated the impact of sodium-reducing strategies on blood pressure in older adults residing in care facilities in China. While previous studies show that reducing salt intake can prevent or delay the onset of hypertension, reducing and avoiding salt intake in the long term can be challenging.
The DECIDE-Salt study included 611 participants aged 55 years or older from 48 care centers divided into two groups: 24 centers (313 participants) replaced regular salt with the salt substitute and 24 centers (298 participants) continued use of the usual salt. All participants had blood pressure <140/90 mmHg and were not using antihypertensive medications at baseline. The primary outcome was participants who had incident hypertension, initiated antihypertensive medications, or developed major adverse cardiovascular events during follow-up.
At two years , the incidence of hypertension was 11.7 per 100 person-years in participants on salt substitute and 24.3 per 100 person-years in participants on regular salt. People who used the salt substitute were 40% less likely to develop high blood pressure compared to those who used regular salt. Additionally, salt substitutes did not cause hypotension , which can be a common problem in older adults.
"Our results show an exciting advance in blood pressure maintenance that offers a way for people to protect their health and minimize the potential for cardiovascular risks, while still enjoying the benefits of adding delicious flavor to their meals. favorites," Wu said. "Taking into account its blood pressure-lowering effect, demonstrated in previous studies, salt substitute is beneficial for all people, whether hypertensive or normotensive, making it a desirable population strategy for the prevention and control of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
Limitations of the study include that it was a post hoc analysis , the study outcomes were not prespecified, and there was a loss of follow-up visits in many patients. Analyzes indicated that these missing values were random, and multiple sensitivity analyzes support the robustness of the results.
In an accompanying editorial comment, Rik Olde Engberink, MD, PhD, researcher, nephrologist and clinical pharmacologist at the Department of Internal Medicine at the University Medical Center of Amsterdam, said the study provides an attractive alternative to the failed strategy to reduce intake. of salt around the world, but questions and efforts remain.
"In the DECIDE-Salt trial, the salt substitute was given to kitchen staff and facilities were not allowed to provide externally sourced food more than once a week," Olde Engberink said. "This approach potentially has a greater impact on blood pressure outcomes and for this reason the food industry should adopt salt substitutes earlier in the food chain so that the sodium-potassium ratio of processed foods improves." ".
Conclusions In older Chinese adults with normal blood pressure , replacing regular salt with a salt substitute may reduce the incidence of hypertension without increasing episodes of hypotension. This suggests a desirable strategy for the prevention and control of hypertension and cardiovascular disease in the entire population, which deserves further consideration in future studies. |
