AVENTURA, Fla. – In addition to lowering blood pressure, researchers in China have found that replacing salt with a non-sodium-based alternative not only reduced the risk of stroke but also cut the risk of cardiovascular events by 13%.
“Besides being a salt substitute it was high in potassium and these are two factors that are related to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases,” said cardiologist Dr. Leonard Pianko. “When people are low in potassium, which we call hypokalemia, when people are on certain medications like diuretics that can lower someone’s potassium, it can cause exacerbation of high blood pressure as well as arrhythmia and other problems,” Pianko said,.
He said in addition to cutting out added salt, and salty foods, patients should talk with their doctor about their potassium levels.
Lung cancer awareness
Nov. 1 marks the start of National Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
Lung cancer kills more people than breast, colon and prostate cancer combined.
This year, it is estimated that more than 235,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with lung cancer and nearly 132,000 will die from the disease.
A disproportionate number of those deaths are among black Americans.
New federal guidelines have nearly doubled the number of Americans eligible for lung cancer screening, but fewer than 15% take advantage of this life-saving test.