Again in 1960, a lot of the world’s inhabitants was poor within the micronutrient iodine, with extreme penalties for public well being. By 2020, solely 21 international locations have been iodine-deficient – down from 113 in 1990 – and 90 per cent of individuals have been consuming sufficient.

The answer? Including iodine to desk salt. Iodisation of the salt provide was strongly supported by the salt business and governments, and is arguably one of the vital efficient public heath interventions of all time.

In 2024, the world is dealing with an identical public well being disaster. Hypertension, or hypertension, is the main reason for sickness and dying. A significant contributory issue is extreme consumption of sodium, which elevates blood stress. However as we report in “The right way to simply fulfill your salt cravings with out damaging your well being“, new analysis suggests a equally simple repair is at hand: potassium-enriched salt.

That may very well be a sport changer as a result of efforts to cut back sodium consumption have failed for varied causes, not least as a result of individuals like salty meals. Governments and business should additionally shoulder some blame. Processed meals producers have been gradual to enact salt discount targets whereas the salt business has tried to solid doubt on the efficacy and security of salt discount, partly by selling the concept that getting too little is as dangerous as having an excessive amount of.

In any case, the newest scientific insights have put a brand new answer on the desk. Switching to potassium-enriched salt could be a win-win, decreasing sodium and in addition rising consumption of potassium. This may have a better influence on blood stress than simply slicing sodium consumption alone, based on the newest analysis. Solely 14 per cent of individuals get sufficient potassium. Virtually everybody eats an excessive amount of sodium.

If business received’t act on these insights voluntarily, governments ought to pressure the problem. The results of hypertension price healthcare methods a fortune. Enriching salt with potassium, simply as we did with iodine, gives a surprisingly palatable solution to save lives and cash.