New Delhi

Potassium supplements in salt can significantly reduce the risks of stroke recurrence as well as death, according to an international study.

The study comes amidst the new recommendation by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to take potassium-enriched salt to combat hypertension and related heart risks.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, and recurrent events remain a major concern. High sodium intake and low potassium intake are considered key risk factors.

“The study suggests that potassium salt substitute significantly reduced the risks of stroke recurrence and death, and is a novel and practical therapeutic option for patients with stroke,” said the researchers, including from China, Australia, and the UK.

The randomised clinical trial involved 15,249 participants from China who had previously reported suffering from a stroke.

The participants were assigned to use either a salt substitute, consisting of 75 per cent sodium chloride and 25 per cent potassium chloride by mass, or regular salt.

The findings, published in JAMA Cardiology, showed that recurrent stroke was reduced by 14 per cent in the potassium substitute group compared with those in the regular salt group.

A total of 2,735 recurrent stroke events occurred, with 691 fatal and 2,044 nonfatal episodes.

Haemorrhagic stroke showed a 30 per cent relative reduction, and stroke-related deaths decreased by 21 per cent. The researchers also found no meaningful difference in hyperkalemia (high potassium levels) between groups.

“Results of this cluster trial demonstrate that salt substitution was safe, along with reduced risks of stroke recurrence and death, which underscores large health gains from scaling up this low-cost intervention among patients with stroke,” the researchers said.

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The WHO, in its recent guideline, suggests using K-salt or potassium chloride instead of regular table salt, which is rich in sodium. The K-salt may help reduce the risk of hypertension, which can lead to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and chronic kidney disease, by lowering blood pressure.

It also lowers the risks of other conditions associated with high sodium intake, such as gastric cancer.

As per the WHO, every year, 80 Lakh people die due to poor diet. Of these, 19 lakh deaths are attributable to high sodium intake.