Some consumers must avoid these salts at the risk of developing heart rhythm disorders.
So-called “diet” salts are used as a flavor enhancer instead of dietary salt when you need to reduce your consumption. Excessive dietary salt consumption increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and water retention. To avoid an increase in blood pressure, the sodium present in classic salt is replaced by potassium in diet salts. A Chinese study carried out on 21,000 people showed that after five years, people consuming salt enriched with potassium had significantly fewer strokes and cardiovascular accidents than others.
Diet salts can be found in pharmacies and supermarkets, but be careful, warns the magazine 60 million consumers published by the National Consumer Institute (INC). Their packaging “struggle to effectively warn consumers”. According to the investigation, 6 brands of diet salts sold in pharmacies and supermarkets, the warnings are too light and could endanger certain consumers. In 2020, the death of a patient pushed theHandles to deplore “the lack of information on labeling […]in particular for people not followed or poorly followed for conditions which increase the risk. Four years later, the warnings are still unclear. We read for example: “Suitable for low sodium diets, always under medical supervision”, “-33% sodium” or “Not suitable for people whose diet must be low in potassium.” Too vague information…
The consumption of dietary salt is in fact not recommended for certain people such as those suffering from heart failure, diabetes, chronic kidney failure and the elderly whose kidneys may have difficulty eliminating potassium. Patients treating their high blood pressure or heart failure with “hyperkalemia” medications also have a risk of developing hyperkalemia, that is, having an excess of potassium in the blood that can cause heart problems. heart rate, if they consume diet salts.
“Among them we find certain essential antihypertensives such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II antagonists, sartans, or certain diuretics (spironolactone). All of them slow down the elimination of potassium, which can then accumulate in the body”, specifies Professor Béatrice Duly-Bouhanick, endocrinologist and hypertensiologist. To find out if diet salt is in accordance with your health, it is best to discuss it with your doctor or pharmacist before purchasing.