Research
Micronutrients & recovery
No country globally achieves the combined WHO target of potassium intake >3.5 g/day and sodium intake <2 g/day.
It is currently impossible to meet both sodium and potassium guidelines simultaneously in most countries. Focus on reducing discretionary salt intake and increasing potassium-rich foods like fruits and vegetables, as this is the most feasible path to improving cardiovascular health.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
No country-level study reported combined intakes of sodium and potassium that achieved World Health Organisation targets, i.e. potassium intake of > 3.5 g/day, while reducing sodium intake to < 2 g/day
Why this rating
Based on a comprehensive meta-analysis of 104 studies from 52 countries.
Source
Global mean potassium intake: a systematic review and Bayesian meta-analysis
Catriona Reddin et al. · European Journal of Nutrition · 2023
DOI 10.1007/s00394-023-03128-6
Meta-analysis · 104 studiesCited 63×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Replacing regular salt with a potassium-enriched salt substitute (75% NaCl, 25% KCl) significantly reduces cardiovascular events and mortality, particularly in populations with low baseline potassium and high sodium intake.Strong
- Global mean potassium intake (2.25 g/day) is significantly below the World Health Organization's recommended target of >3.5 g/day, with only 14% of the global population achieving this level.Good
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