Potassium-enriched salt may cut heart risks
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Replacing regular salt with a potassium-fortified alternative may help lower older adults' risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, new research suggests.
In a study of nearly 2,000 elderly Taiwanese men, researchers found that those given a potassium-enriched salt substitute were 40 percent less likely to die of heart disease or stroke over the next two to three years.
The salt alternative, which was half sodium chloride, half potassium chloride, helped the men make a moderate cut in their sodium intake and a substantial increase in their potassium consumption.
This potassium boost may have been largely responsible for the lower risk of cardiovascular death, the researchers conclude in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Like sodium, potassium is an electrolyte needed for maintaining the body's fluid balance. It's also involved in proper nerve and muscle control, as well as blood pressure regulation. A number of studies have suggested that diets high in potassium -- from foods like raisins, bananas, melon, beans and potatoes -- may help maintain a healthy blood pressure.
The new findings suggest the mineral may also help lower the risk of dying from heart disease or stroke -- possibly by protecting blood vessel function, according to study co-author Dr. Wen-Harn Pan, a researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica in Taipei.
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In a study of nearly 2,000 elderly Taiwanese men, researchers found that those given a potassium-enriched salt substitute were 40 percent less likely to die of heart disease or stroke over the next two to three years.
The salt alternative, which was half sodium chloride, half potassium chloride, helped the men make a moderate cut in their sodium intake and a substantial increase in their potassium consumption.
This potassium boost may have been largely responsible for the lower risk of cardiovascular death, the researchers conclude in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Like sodium, potassium is an electrolyte needed for maintaining the body's fluid balance. It's also involved in proper nerve and muscle control, as well as blood pressure regulation. A number of studies have suggested that diets high in potassium -- from foods like raisins, bananas, melon, beans and potatoes -- may help maintain a healthy blood pressure.
The new findings suggest the mineral may also help lower the risk of dying from heart disease or stroke -- possibly by protecting blood vessel function, according to study co-author Dr. Wen-Harn Pan, a researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica in Taipei.
Read more
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http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?floc=ne-health-12-l8&idq=/ff/story/0002%2F20060621%2F1125798242.htm&sc=rohts
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