Numerous scientific studies have shown how sodium negatively affects the ability to absorb calcium that we ingest, favoring its elimination through the urine. The problem is not trivial, considering that the contemporary Western diet is characterized by a high intake of sodium, much higher than the individual requirements recommended by the World Health Organization.
Table salt is composed of 97.5% sodium chloride and 2.5% chemicals such as iodine, adsorbents, sugar and is devoid of useful trace minerals and lacking in nutritional value. The body has difficulty disposing of it naturally and healthily, which can lead to tissue inflammation, water retention, and high blood pressure (2,3). Excess sodium promotes increased blood pressure, a leading cause of heart attack and stroke, kidney stones, and osteoporosis. Low-sodium diets are therapeutically effective but generally considered impossible or difficult to implement. One strategy may be to replace sodium with other minerals, such as potassium chloride, which organoleptically has the same flavor without having negative health consequences. In one clinical trial, reducing sodium intake accompanied by dietary potassium supplementation resulted in an increase in subjects with optimal blood pressure (+ 2-5%) and a significant reduction in risk levels for cardiovascular disease and mortality (- 6- 11%) (4).
The efficacy of a prophylactic/therapeutic low-sodium diet should also be evaluated against the side effects of drug therapy with daily intake of antihypertensives. Clinical and epidemiological studies suggest that potassium chloride intake lowers blood pressure and reduces the need for antihypertensive medication in hypertensive men on a low-sodium diet5,6. In another study, increasing potassium intake to recommended levels significantly reduces systolic blood pressure in Western populations from 1.7 to 3.2 mm Hg, with a predicted reduction in risk of stroke mortality from 8% to 15% and risk of heart disease mortality from 6% to 11% (7).