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 The Canadian study team found that sodium-reduced packaged chicken
and meat slices in supermarkets contained an average of 44 percent
more potassium than their regular counterparts, largely because of
potassium-containing additives in the low-sodium products, according
to the report in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics.
“As a result of the health effort to reduce the sodium content of
processed foods, there are more sodium-reduced packaged foods
appearing on grocery shelves,” said senior study author Pauline
Darling of the University of Ottawa.
Food manufacturers sometimes use potassium and phosphorous with
additives to replace the sodium flavor, she said, but the amounts
are often not listed on food labels. Patients with chronic kidney
disease, in particular, are advised to eat diets low in sodium,
phosphorous and potassium.
“It is unclear if sodium-reduced foods are safe for patients with
chronic kidney disease or for those who are taking blood pressure
medications,” Darling told Reuters Health by email.
The researchers chemically analyzed 19 original and 19
sodium-reduced meat and poultry products from the top three grocery
chains in Canada, measuring the protein, sodium, phosphorous and
potassium in each one. A product was considered sodium-reduced if
the label advertised it as having at least 25 percent less sodium
than the original version.
The study team found that, on average, low-sodium products contained
38 percent less sodium than their original versions. They also
contained an average of 184 milligrams (0.01 oz) more potassium.
Total potassium ranged from 210 mg to 1500 mg per 100 grams (3.53
oz) of meat. A food considered to be high-potassium is one that
contains more than 200 mg per serving, the authors note.
“On average, the higher amount of potassium contained in the
sodium-reduced meat and poultry products was equivalent to an extra
serving of a high-potassium food,” Darling added.
Additives containing potassium were found on the ingredient list in
63 percent of the sodium-reduced products, as compared to 26 percent
of the original versions. Phosphorous and protein didn’t differ
significantly between the two groups of products, however.
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Future studies should look at the harms and risks of sodium versus
potassium-recommended diets for people with kidney or heart
problems, said Dr. Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh of the University of
California, Irvine School of Medicine, who wasn’t involved in the
study.
“In the efforts to reduce the sodium content of food, we may avoid
one harm and end up with another harm,” he told Reuters Health by
phone. “It’s a good example that in our ongoing quest to reduce
sodium, we may inadvertently cause more problems.”
Potassium can help lower blood pressure, but for those with kidney
disease, high potassium can be tough for the body to process.
“Although this study suggests that low-sodium foods are higher in
potassium, what we really need to know is whether it makes a
difference in real-world situations,” said Dr. Orlando Gutierrez of
the University of Alabama at Birmingham Nutrition Obesity Research
Center, who also wasn’t involved in the study.
“If it doesn’t, then the issue is academically interesting but
practically not of much value,” he told Reuters Health by email.
Potassium content should be included on food labels, especially for
sodium-reduced products, so consumers can make better choices about
their diet, the study authors write.
“These patients need to be cautious about sodium-reduced meat and
poultry products,” Darling said. “It would be best for them to
choose fresh meat and poultry with no additives.”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2rXM6FV Journal of the Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics, online January 6, 2018.
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