Contrary to what some may claim, the scientific and medical consensus on high sodium intake is no different than it was last year, last decade, or beforehand. Given its effect on the brain, lithium is definitely not suitable for flavoring or consumption outside of a medication. Though some people do take microdosages of lithium orotate as a dietary supplement. Is it good for blood pressure? Lifton, R. P. (1995-09-12). "Genetic determinants of human hypertension". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 92 (19): 8545–8551. Bibcode: 1995PNAS...92.8545L. doi: 10.1073/pnas.92.19.8545. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 41004. PMID 7567973. Eating too much salt may raise your blood pressure and increase your risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases.

Maluly, Hellen D. B.; Arisseto-Bragotto, Adriana P.; Reyes, Felix G. R. (November 2017). "Monosodium glutamate as a tool to reduce sodium in foodstuffs: Technological and safety aspects". Food Science & Nutrition. 5 (6): 1039–1048. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.499. PMC 5694874. PMID 29188030. Low sodium salt can be both good and bad for blood pressure. Randomized clinical trials have reported that potassium chloride can lower systolic blood pressure by 11 points and diastolic by 5 points after consumption. However, it can have side effects. Slow-K is a prescription medication and the amount of potassium chloride in Lo Salt and similar products will be significantly lower. Because they still contain 30-50% salt, low sodium salt tastes similar to regular Morton table. What’s different is a slight bitter metallic flavor that comes from the added potassium chloride. Some brands do better than others at masking it. Drake, S. L.; Drake, M. A. (2011). "Comparison of Salty Taste and Time Intensity of Sea and Land Salts from Around the World". Journal of Sensory Studies. 26 (1): 25–34. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-459X.2010.00317.x. ISSN 1745-459X.There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that consuming too little sodium can lead to an increase in the risk of cardiovascular hospitalization or death ( https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22110105/, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21540421/). From the first article, “a sodium excretion of less than 3 g per day was associated with increased risk of CV mortality and hospitalization for CHF”. And from the second, “Lower sodium excretion was associated with higher CVD mortality.”

Neal B, Wu Y, Feng X, Zhang R, Zhang Y, Shi J; etal. (2021). "Effect of Salt Substitution on Cardiovascular Events and Death". N Engl J Med. 385 (12): 1067–1077. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2105675. PMID 34459569. {{ cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link) Even when you eat them without added salt, you’re already getting more than enough sodium just from what they naturally contain.

Verdict: Is it dangerous or healthy?

For a person who weighs 165 lb (75 kg), the median lethal amount of potassium chloride when orally consumed is 190g (6.7 oz). For sodium chloride (regular salt) it’s 280g (9.9 oz). ( 6) True, it is an essential mineral for humans that serves as an electrolyte. However, the same holds true for other life forms… like the plants and animals you eat. Even when adjusting for differences such as body fat percentage and sugar intake, dietary sodium intake was directly correlated with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), which is another reliable measure of inflammation in the body. ( 2) Flavor enhancers, although not true salt alternatives, help reduce the use of salt by enhancing the savory flavor ( umami). [23] Hydrolyzed protein [24] or 5'-nucleotides [25] are sometimes added to potassium chloride to improve the flavour of salt substitutes. Fish sauce has the same effect. [26] High amounts of salt are already added to practically all processed and prepared foods. The best thing you can do is break the habit of adding even more.

Reducing how much salt you eat can make you feel less thirsty, less dehydrated and have less headaches. What foods are low in salt and sodium? Looking for easy information about weight loss? Visit our hub for advice about living a healthy lifestyle - Taking control of your weight. You'll find tips for losing weight, access to our recipe finder, our popular 10 minute workout and much more.These types of salts are usually less refined (less processed) than table salt. But their amount of sodium and nutrients are similar to table salt. They can still put you at risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases. Side effects of low sodium salt come from the potassium chloride content. Too much can cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure and affect the cardiac muscle, leading to an irregular heartbeat. Damage to kidneys can result with long term use, as the they must work harder to remove excess potassium from the blood. Diabetics are at increased risk of kidney damage from using low sodium replacements. World Health Organization (2012). Guideline. Sodium intake for adults and children. Geneva, Switzerland. ISBN 978-92-4-150483-6. OCLC 849715509. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link)