Are there any health drawbacks to potassium chloride?
Not only does potassium chloride replace the sodium in regular salt (sodium chloride) that’s responsible for boosting blood pres-sure, adding potassium to the diet can actually lower blood pressure and blunt the effects of salt in some people. But according to the federal dietary guidelines, “While salt substitutes contain-ing potassium chloride may be useful for some individuals, they can be harmful to people with certain medical conditions.” People with kidney problems, for example, should exercise caution. Certain prescription drugs also increase potassium levels, including some ACE inhibitors, spironolac-tone (Aldactone), triamterene and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim), leading to the risk of too much of a good thing. To be safe, check with your physician before making the switch to potassium chloride—and keep in mind that most dietary sodium comes from processed foods, not the salt shaker.
