Potassium chloride replacing salt and predicted sodium intake in the US
What it found
Replacing regular salt with potassium chloride in top foods could lower average daily sodium to about 3117 mg in the US.
This was a computer model using diet surveys, not a trial in people.
What they found
Sodium drop with full swap
In the model where every bit of added salt in the top 18 foods was swapped out, daily sodium fell by 41% to 2004 mg. Potassium rose by 75% to 4372 mg per day.
Realistic salt swap
When experts set realistic limits based on taste and manufacturing, the model predicted sodium dropping by 9% to 3117 mg per day. Potassium went up by 16% to 2892 mg per day.
Range of realistic swaps
Using the lowest expert estimates, sodium dropped by 5%. Using the highest estimates, it dropped by 13%. Potassium rose between 8% and 24% in those scenarios.
Sodium to potassium balance
The ratio of sodium to potassium in diets was 1.5 at baseline. Under the realistic swap model, that ratio fell to between 1.0 and 1.3, which the authors note may help blood pressure control.
Short-term goals met
The realistic swap brought average sodium close to the short-term target of 3000 mg per day set by US regulators. The authors say it cannot reach the long-term goal of 2300 mg alone.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that realistically swapping regular salt for potassium chloride in top foods could bring average sodium intake near the short-term target of 3000 mg per day.
- They note that average potassium intake under this plan stays within recommended ranges for healthy people.
- The authors advise that extra strategies beyond potassium chloride will be needed to hit long-term sodium reduction goals.
How it was done
Americans eat more sodium than recommended, mostly from processed and restaurant foods. The authors wanted to estimate how much swapping regular salt for potassium chloride would change sodium and potassium intakes across the country.
The researchers used national diet survey data from 7918 people in 2015-2016 and 9042 people in 2009-2010, all aged 2 years and older. They built computer models to predict what would happen if food makers replaced regular salt with potassium chloride in the 18 biggest sources of sodium. Twenty experts helped decide how much replacement was realistic without ruining taste or food safety.
What it can’t tell you
- This is a computer model based on diet surveys, so it predicts changes rather than measuring them in real life.
- It cannot show whether people would actually buy or enjoy foods made with these changes.
- The model assumes no one had issues handling extra potassium, but scientists do not yet know how this affects people with kidney problems.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Center for Chemical Regulation & Food Safety, USA; North Carolina State University, USA
The paper
- Title
- Potassium chloride-based replacers: modeling effects on sodium and potassium intakes of the US population with cross-sectional data from NHANES 2015-2016 and 2009-2010
- Type
- Study
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Murphy MM, Scrafford CG, Barraj LM, et al (2021). Potassium chloride-based replacers: modeling effects on sodium and potassium intakes of the US population with cross-sectional data from NHANES 2015-2016 and 2009-2010. The American journal of clinical nutrition. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqab020Free full textPubMed 33755042DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error