While this finding may apply to people living in Asia, it may not apply as much to Westerners.

The study’s lead author, Dr Hannah Greenwood (BPsychSc), a research assistant at Bond University in Australia, pointed out that the majority of the study’s data came from RTCs in Asia.

“Salt substitutes may still benefit Western populations, but the currently available research evidence cannot confirm this due to unavailability of data. This is why the ‘certainty of evidence’ of our findings is “That’s part of the reason it’s rated ‘low’ or ‘very low,'” she said.

Greenwood also noted that sodium consumption follows different patterns in the East and West.

“In the study population, salt intake tends to be discretionary, meaning that the main culprit is salt added to food, some of it from added table salt, but also from soy sauce and Also includes other seasonings.

In the study population, meal preparation is often done at home, where the addition of sodium is a conscious choice.

“For Westerners, salt consumption is largely driven by processed, packaged, and takeout/restaurant foods,” says Greenwood.

Dr. Jane Morgan, a cardiologist and executive director of health and community education at Piedmont Healthcare Corporation in Atlanta, Georgia, who was not involved in the study, said that the typical Western diet He pointed out that sodium permeates through the water.

“Not only do many people [Western] Processed foods inherently contain salt, but they often contain salt not only as a flavor enhancer but also as a preservative. This includes things like seasoned meats purchased from the supermarket,” Morgan said.

Snack foods usually contain large amounts of sodium.

Still, Morgan found the study definitely thought-provoking. “Here in the United States, we know we’re getting too much sodium in our diets, but it seems like we’re not going to stop tasting it. This despite increases in high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. No change.”

Potassium added to salt substitutes in the study population may also have contributed to the observed improved health outcomes.

“Potassium is essential for the balance of the heart’s electrical system, including contraction and relaxation of the heart muscle. It plays a role in the interaction of sodium and potassium in regulating blood pressure.” explained Morgan..

She also says that if you take too much potassium, Hyperkalemiamaintaining a healthy balance of potassium and sodium is a balancing act.

The study’s senior researcher, Roai Albarkhuni, MD, PhD, MSc, assistant professor at Australia’s Bond University, said it was difficult to say how much additional potassium study participants received.

“This is difficult to quantify because our study did not investigate whether reducing sodium alone was having an effect or increasing potassium had an additional benefit,” he says. said.

“another study When we looked at both salt replacement and sodium restriction, we found a reduction in cardiovascular risk with salt replacement, but not with salt restriction, pointing to the benefit of increased potassium intake,” Greenwood said. he added.

“In this part of China, people are known to have low potassium levels, so an increase may be beneficial, but it won’t push them into the hyperkalemic range,” Morgan noted.

“Thus, although our study does not allow us to estimate the contribution of added potassium to the effect, we suspect that it plays a role,” Albarkhuni said.

The RCT investigated table salt alternatives, rather than soy sauce alternatives, which are commonly used in Asia to add salty seasonings.

Greenwood explained that this is because “low-salt products already exist, but there is currently no commercially available soy sauce product that is similarly low-salt and has added potassium.”

He noted that many seasonings used in Asia, including soy sauce, contain high levels of sodium, “so the development and research of ‘salt replacement’ seasonings may be worthwhile.” did.

As with other meta-studies, there was variation among the included RTCs, limiting the range of results.

Professor Albarkhuni said, “Differences between our population of interest, the average cardiovascular risk of Westerners, and the original study context, where the average cardiovascular risk is higher than average among primarily non-Westerners, limit the generalizability of the results.” It affects sexuality.”

“Other limitations include variations in the methodological quality of the included studies and variations in how salt substitution was performed across different studies,” he said.

“It’s important to remember that salt substitutes are not the holy grail for eradicating cardiovascular disease.” Greenwood said..

“Along with sodium intake, there are many factors that contribute to cardiovascular health, such as smoking, diet, and exercise. There are many other ways to reduce sodium intake. For those looking for an easy way to reduce their sodium intake without breaking the habit of adding salt to their food, using salt substitutes is a great option.
— Hannah Greenwood

Michelle Ruthenstein, MA, RD, CDCES, a preventive cardiology nutritionist at EntirelyNourished.com, who was not involved in the study, also suggested some salt alternatives.

“Low-sodium alternatives to soy sauce include homemade soy sauce made with coconut aminos, balsamic vinegar, honey, ginger powder, sesame oil, and other ingredients,” she says.

Diet isn’t the only way to protect your heart, Rosenstein says. “Other strategies to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease include focusing on adding adequate amounts of foods to the diet that improve vascular health and cardiometabolic risk factors.”

These risk factors include high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and inflammation.

“Performing regular physical activity and practicing stress reduction techniques may also promote cardiovascular health,” Rosenstein said.