Low sodium salt: should you switch, and who should not?
Most people in Pakistan and India eat almost double the salt the WHO recommends. Too much salt raises blood pressure, which is a leading cause of stroke and heart attack. Low sodium salt is one simple way to cut down, but it is not right for everyone.
Quick answer
- The WHO advises adults to eat less than 5 g of salt a day (about 1 level teaspoon). South Asians often eat 8 to 10 g or more.
- Low sodium salt replaces part of the sodium with potassium chloride. A large trial found it lowered stroke by 14 percent and deaths by 12 percent.
- In 2025, the WHO advised adults to use potassium-enriched salt instead of regular salt, with clear exceptions.
- Do not use it if you have kidney disease, or take certain blood pressure or heart medicines, without asking your doctor. Too much potassium can be dangerous.
How much salt do we really eat?
Surveys in India have found average salt intake of around 8 to 11 g a day, and studies in Pakistan show similar high levels. That is close to double the WHO limit of 5 g. Most of it comes from:
- Salt added while cooking salan, daal and rice
- Achar (pickles), chutneys and papad
- Namkeen, nimko, chips and other salty snacks
- Bread, biscuits, instant noodles and ready-made masala mixes
- Street food, fast food and restaurant meals
- Chaat masala and salt sprinkled on fruit and salad
High salt intake raises blood pressure. High blood pressure often has no symptoms, which is why it is called the "silent killer". It is one of the main causes of stroke, heart attack and kidney disease in South Asia.
What is low sodium salt?
Normal table salt is sodium chloride. Low sodium salt (also called potassium-enriched salt or a salt substitute) replaces part of it, usually 25 to 50 percent, with potassium chloride. Some also add a little magnesium.
It looks and tastes much like normal salt. Some people notice a slight bitter or metallic taste when it is used in large amounts, but in cooked food most people cannot tell.
It works in two ways: you eat less sodium, which lowers blood pressure, and more potassium, which also helps lower blood pressure. Most South Asian diets are low in potassium.
What does the research say?
The Salt Substitute and Stroke Study (SSaSS) followed about 21,000 people in rural China who had a past stroke or were older with high blood pressure. Half used a salt substitute (75 percent sodium chloride, 25 percent potassium chloride) for about 5 years. Compared with normal salt, the salt substitute group had:
- 14 percent fewer strokes
- 13 percent fewer major heart events
- 12 percent fewer deaths
- No increase in serious problems from high potassium in that group
Based on this and other studies, in 2025 the WHO issued a guideline suggesting that adults use lower-sodium, potassium-enriched salt instead of regular salt, as long as they do not have kidney problems or other conditions that make potassium risky.
Who should NOT use low sodium salt?
- Have kidney disease of any stage, or have had kidney problems
- Take blood pressure medicines like ACE inhibitors (names often end in "-pril", such as enalapril, lisinopril, ramipril) or ARBs (names ending in "-sartan", such as losartan, valsartan, telmisartan)
- Take potassium-sparing water tablets like spironolactone, eplerenone or amiloride
- Have heart failure, or diabetes with kidney problems
- Take potassium supplements
What about pink salt, black salt and sea salt?
| Type | What it is | Sodium compared with table salt |
|---|---|---|
| Table salt (iodised) | Refined sodium chloride with added iodine | Normal |
| Pink Himalayan salt (lahori namak) | Rock salt from mines in Punjab, with trace minerals that give its colour | About the same |
| Black salt (kala namak) | Rock salt heated with spices, with a sulphur smell | A little less, but still mostly sodium |
| Sea salt | From evaporated sea water | About the same |
| Low sodium salt | Salt mixed with potassium chloride | 25 to 50 percent less |
Pink salt is beautiful and popular, but its extra minerals are in tiny amounts. It is not a low sodium salt. Many pink, black and sea salts also have no added iodine. Iodine is important for the thyroid and for a baby's brain development. If you use pink salt, make sure your family also gets iodised salt.
10 easy ways to eat less salt
- Measure the salt when cooking. Use a spoon, not your hand.
- Add salt at the end. You often need less to get the same taste.
- Use more lemon, amchur, garlic, ginger, herbs and spices for flavour.
- Take the salt shaker off the table.
- Limit achar, papad and chutneys to a small spoon.
- Go easy on chaat masala on fruit, salad and raita.
- Read labels. Choose snacks and bread with less than 0.3 g of salt per 100 g where you can.
- Rinse canned chana and beans before using.
- Cut down slowly. Your taste buds adjust in 3 to 4 weeks, and food starts to taste salty enough with less.
- Eat more potassium-rich foods: fruit, vegetables, daal, dahi and coconut water (unless your doctor has told you to limit potassium).
For a daily meal plan, try our diet plan maker, which includes a DASH option for blood pressure. You can also read processed vs homemade food to spot hidden salt.
Common questions
How much salt per day is safe?
The WHO advises adults to eat less than 5 g of salt a day, which is about one level teaspoon, from all foods together.
Is low sodium salt good for high blood pressure?
Yes, for most people with high blood pressure, it can help lower it and reduce stroke risk. But check with your doctor first, as some blood pressure medicines do not mix well with extra potassium.
Is pink salt better than white salt?
Not really. It has about the same sodium. It also often has no iodine, which your body needs.
Can I use low sodium salt for my whole family?
Usually yes for healthy adults. Check with a doctor for anyone with kidney disease or on certain heart or blood pressure medicines. The WHO advice is for adults, not children or pregnant women.
Sources
- Neal B, Wu Y, Feng X, et al. Effect of salt substitution on cardiovascular events and death (SSaSS). New England Journal of Medicine, 2021;385:1067-1077. doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2105675
- World Health Organization. Use of lower-sodium salt substitutes: WHO guideline. Geneva, 2025. www.who.int/publications
- World Health Organization. Salt reduction, fact sheet. www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/salt-reduction
- Johnson C, Praveen D, Pope A, et al. Mean population salt consumption in India: a systematic review. Journal of Hypertension, 2017;35:3-9. doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0000000000001141
- World Health Organization. Guideline: potassium intake for adults and children. Geneva, 2012. www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241504829
- Greer RC, Marklund M, Anderson CAM, et al. Potassium-enriched salt substitutes as a means to lower blood pressure: benefits and risks. Hypertension, 2020;75:266-274. doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.119.13241
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