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A leading Australian heart expert says switching to potassium enriched salt could slash hypertension rates.
A high salt intake has long been associated with increased risk of hypertension, heart disease and stroke. One in five New Zealanders has high blood pressure, according to the Stroke Foundation, making them seven times more likely to have a stroke.
The Health Ministry recommends adults limit to roughly a teaspoon per day, but NZ Nutrition foundation figures suggests consumption is much higher.
Alta Schutte is a professor of Cardiovascular medicine at the University of New South Wales. She says years of public health warnings about salt have failed to reduce consumption, and she's researched the benefits of switching to potassium enriched low sodium salts which are readily available.
