World Health Organisation releases guidelines on the use of lower-sodium salt substitutes
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released new guidelines on the use of lower-sodium salt substitutes and advised adults reduce their sodium intake to less than 2g a day (the equivalent of 5g salt). As part of this effort, they have issued a conditional recommendation for the general public to consider the use of lower-sodium salt substitutes (LSSS) in place of regular table salt.
The report comes from the WHO’s systematic review of 26 randomised controlled trials covering over 35,000 people across 30 years. It found that when comparing the use of regular salt to LSSS, blood pressure reduced (2.43mmHg diastolic and 4.76mmHG systolic). In turn, this reduced the risk of:
- Non-fatal strokes
- Non-fatal coronary syndrome
- Cardiovascular death
Whilst the WHO’s new guidelines specifically focus on the discretionary use of salt by individuals, they do not yet cover condiments, pre-manufactured foods or the out-of-home sector (such as restaurants or fast-food services). Therefore, building on our 2021 recommendations we strongly urge the UK government to encourage the retail, manufacturing and hospitality industries to adopt LSSS to further reduce overall sodium consumption.
If adopted globally, these salt substitutes would be a practical, cost-effective solution to prevent millions of premature deaths and better overall population health.
A full breakdown of the new recommendations can be found in 'WHO Guidelines: Use of Lower-Sodium Salt Substitutes'.
