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Category: Project

Description: Sodium intake among the United States (US) population exceeds recommended levels, and efforts have long been underway to reduce the amount of sodium in foods. Potassium chloride (KCl) is one of the most effective tools for sodium chloride (NaCl) replacement due to its ability to perform many of the functional roles of NaCl without sacrificing palatability, and thus, sodium reduction in foods. A switch to the use of KCl from NaCl, therefore, has the potential to alter intakes of both sodium and potassium. To our knowledge, there have been no efforts to estimate the effects of KCl replacement of NaCl on dietary intakes of potassium and sodium in the US. Estimates based on practical and feasible replacement scenarios would provide important insight on the potential impact of sodium-reduction initiatives on public health. The objective of this project is to estimate the effect of potassium-based NaCl replacers on intakes of both potassium and sodium in the US population, using data from the What We Eat In America (WWEIA) component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).