Abstract
Potassium chloride is a leading reformulation technology for reducing sodium in food products. As, globally, sodium intake exceeds guidelines, this technology is beneficial; however, its potential impact on potassium intake is unknown. Therefore, a modeling study was conducted using Dutch National Food Survey data to examine the dietary impact of reformulation (n = 2106). Product-specific sodium criteria, to enable a maximum daily sodium chloride intake of 5 grams/day, were applied to all foods consumed in the survey. The impact of replacing 20%, 50% and 100% of sodium chloride from each product with potassium chloride was modeled. At baseline median, potassium intake was 3334 mg/day. An increase in the median intake of potassium of 453 mg/day was seen when a 20% replacement was applied, 674 mg/day with a 50% replacement scenario and 733 mg/day with a 100% replacement scenario. Reformulation had the largest impact on: bread, processed fruit and vegetables, snacks and processed meat. Replacement of sodium chloride by potassium chloride, particularly in key contributing product groups, would result in better compliance to potassium intake guidelines (3510 mg/day). Moreover, it could be considered safe for the general adult population, as intake remains compliant with EFSA guidelines. Based on current modeling potassium chloride presents as a valuable, safe replacer for sodium chloride in food products.
Highlights
High dietary sodium intake is associated with an increased risk of hypertension, which is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease [1,2]
It is important to understand the potential impact that increased industry-wide use of potassium chloride could have on the diet of the general population. To date this has not being examined, using population-based food intake data, we modeled the potential dietary impact of reformulating food products to lower sodium levels using potassium chloride
The aim of the current study was to investigate the potential dietary impact of using potassium chloride as a sodium chloride replacer in the general population. This modeling study showed that replacing sodium chloride with potassium chloride in food products via three reformulation scenarios resulted in acceptable increases in the intake of potassium and that this can even help to increase population compliance to the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline for potassium
Summary
High dietary sodium intake is associated with an increased risk of hypertension, which is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease [1,2]. Impact modeling shows that realistic reformulation of food products to lower sodium levels could decrease sodium intake by up to 30% [4]. Population-based studies have demonstrated that dietary sodium reduction towards the WHO guidelines could lead to a significant reduction in blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk [4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. Reformulation of food products, and reduction of discretionary salt usage, would contribute to a disease risk reduction [1,2]. International health authorities advocate sodium reduction as a cost-effective strategy to improve public health [11]
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