Low Potassium Risky With Excess Salt

Too much salt increases the risk of heart attack, especially if you don’t get enough potassium, a new study finds. The study began with a survey of more than 12,000 U.S. adults. They were asked to list what they ate the day before. Then researchers kept track of them for 14 years. In that time, 433 died of heart attacks. Researchers divided the survey results into two groups. One group ate excess sodium and too little potassium. The other group ate about the same amounts of each. People in the first group were twice as likely to have heart attacks as those in the second group. Salt is the main source of sodium for most people. Eating too much sodium also increased risk for people who ate enough potassium. People who ate 5 grams of sodium a day were twice as likely to have a heart attack as those who ate 2 grams. Five grams is equal to more than 2 teaspoons of salt.