Neutel J
Replacing regular salt with a sodium-reduced, potassium- and magnesium-enriched mineral salt may offer a non-pharmacological approach to lowering blood pressure
11th Scientific Meeting, American Society of Hypertension
Am J Hypert (Apr) 9:94A 1996

The company that makes "CARDIA", a new salt product that has a lower sodium chloride content, was giving out free tote bags at the ASH meeting. I tried some of this stuff at one of the booths, and it tastes like salt, with no aftertaste. It contains not only sodium but also K and Mg. I can't recall the anions, but I don't think they would be silly enough to make all of the anions chloride, as there is much experimental data to suggest that chloride is a key component of salt sensitivity.

Neutel fed 100 hypertensive patients this salt alternative, with the twist that he also put this in the processed food they ate. This is key, as most salt intake, I suspect, does not come from the shaker. Urinary sodium excretion decreased by 30%, and K excretion increased by 20%, and BP fell, by 8/3 systolic/diastolic, respectively. In two smaller studies, it seemed that blood pressure was not reduced when the salt was used in the kitchen, but was reduced when it was added to processed foods.

Comment: This is an interesting study. It addresses an "easy" way to reduce blood pressure slightly. All one needs to do is pass a law banning sodium chloride and mandating that this alternative be used in processed food instead. I am sure the company that makes "CARDIA" would love such an outcome. (John T. Daugirdas, M.D., University of Illinois at Chicago)

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11th Scientific Meeting, American Society of Hypertension
H: Non drug therapy : Dietary/electrolyte therapy


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-, - --Thursday, April 03, 1997 at 16:06:15 (PST)

It's interesting that this product closely mimics true natural sea salt which also has many other ingredients including over 80 trace elements. Couls it be that the refined 'table salt' so purified could lack many balancing factors? It seems that we all may be happy if that turns out to be an "easy" solution. Mineral waters also may deserve attention. Robert Holland (The add your comment box didn't mention credentials)
Robert Holland (RTico@aol.com)
New York, NY USA-Saturday, March 14, 1998 at 15:41:59 (PST)