Could Potassium Be the Antidote to Too Much Salt?

As Americans struggle to rein in sodium consumption, study suggests boosting potassium intake could help

Baltimore (April 25, 2025)—Despite clear health warnings, many Americans have a hard time shaking the salt habit. New research suggests that consuming more potassium could help salt-lovers dodge some of the dangers. Researchers will present their work this week at the 2025 American Physiology Summit in Baltimore. The Summit is the flagship annual meeting of the American Physiological Society (APS).

“Our results demonstrate that a high potassium intake attenuates the effect of a high-sodium diet on blood vessel function and reduces inflammatory markers,” said the study’s first author Cesar E. Jacintho Moritz, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Delaware. “Therefore, increasing the daily potassium intake may be a potential strategy to counteract the harmful effects of high sodium consumption.”

Eating too much salt damages blood vessels and raises the risk of heart disease. The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting sodium consumption to 2,300 milligrams (mg)—equivalent to about 1 teaspoon of table salt per day. However, studies show that the average U.S. adult exceeds this recommendation by at least 1.5-fold.

Potassium, found in many fruits and vegetables, is known to lower blood pressure and help the body get rid of excess sodium.

The study involved 19 healthy young adults whose blood pressure did not change on a high sodium diet. For three 10-day cycles, participants rotated between three diets in random order: moderate potassium/low sodium, moderate potassium/high sodium and high potassium/high sodium.

Researchers measured markers of blood vessel function and inflammation after each 10-day period. According to the results, participants showed elevated pro-inflammatory markers on the moderate potassium/high sodium diet, but when they consumed high potassium along with high sodium, these markers were reduced to a level similar to the low sodium diet.

Since pushing Americans to cut back on salt does not appear to be working, Moritz said that encouraging higher potassium intake could be an alternative strategy.

Current dietary guidelines recommend consuming 2,600 and 3,400 mg of potassium per day for adult women and men, respectively, a lower target than the 4,700 mg recommended previously. “Our work, along with future research, may provide the impetus for revisiting these guidelines for the American population to improve cardiovascular health and offset the deleterious effects of a high-sodium diet,” said Moritz.

The researchers next plan to study whether boosting potassium intake could be particularly beneficial in people at increased cardiovascular risk such as those with high blood pressure and post-menopausal women.

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: The American Physiology Summit will be held April 24–27, 2025, in Baltimore. To schedule an interview with the researchers, conference organizers or presenters, or to request abstract A-1627, “A High Potassium Intake Protects Endothelial Function and Reduces Pro-inflammatory Markers Under High-sodium Conditions in Salt-resistant Adults,” contact APS Media Relations or call 301.634.7314. Find more highlights from the meeting in our Newsroom. 

Physiology is a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. The American Physiological Society connects a global, multidisciplinary community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators as part of its mission to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health. The Society drives collaboration and spotlights scientific discoveries through its 16 scholarly journals and programming that support researchers and educators in their work.