Potassium chloride

Studies in people

• Concern

  Blood potassium levels¹

  In people with kidney disease, potassium chloride raised blood potassium, and some developed high potassium levels.

• Concern

  Kidney disease and potassium²

  In people with kidney disease, potassium chloride in bread pushed about a third past safe potassium limits.

• Concern

  Blood pressure and stroke risk⁴

  Swapping salt for potassium chloride may help some people but puts far more at risk, scientists say.

• Open question

  Salt in everyday foods⁵

  Swapping some salt for potassium chloride in common foods could cut how much sodium Americans eat.

• Benefit

  Blood pressure⁶

  In people, taking potassium chloride for six weeks lowered blood pressure, especially in those starting with higher readings.

• Benefit

  Blood clotting and stroke risk⁹

  In people, taking potassium chloride made blood platelets less sticky, which may help explain the link to fewer strokes.

• No harm found

  Blood pressure hormone¹⁰

  In 11 normal people, modest potassium chloride intake did not change renin activity.

• No harm found

  Blood pressure in men¹¹

  In men on a low-salt diet, potassium chloride pills did not lower blood pressure or reduce the need for blood pressure medicine.

Animal and lab studies only

• Concern

  Blood pressure¹³

  In animal studies, chloride sometimes raised blood pressure, but the panel trusted human data more.

How it’s made and used

• Taste of salt substitutes³

  People found potassium chloride tastes bitter, chemical and metallic, but mixing it with regular salt made those off-tastes weaker.

• Salt reduction in kimchi⁷

  Adding potassium chloride to low-salt kimchi helps replace the missing salty taste, though older and younger eaters react differently.

• Taste and texture of sausages⁸

  Adding potassium chloride to leaner, less salty sausages barely changed how much people liked them.

• Potassium intake from food¹²

  Swapping some salt for potassium chloride in foods like bread would raise how much potassium people eat.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.

• UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 1979

  No daily limit needed (“ADI not specified”, JECFA’s term for very low toxicity).