A salt substitute reduced the blood pressure of rural Chinese for whom home-pickled foods are a mainstay, an Australian researcher told U.S. cardiologists. In a study of 600 residents of northern China, researcher Bruce Neal, of the George Institute for International Health at the University of Sydney, said the high-potassium, low-salt substitute showed “it could reduce blood pressure to about the same extent as single-drug therapy.” “Cardiovascular diseases have been the main cause of death in China for some time now,” Neal said. “We are particularly interested in strategies that will work in poor rural areas where preventive care is currently very limited.” The benefits of reducing dietary salt intake could be extended to most countries around the world, Neal said. The research was presented at an Atlanta meeting of the American College of Cardiology. © Copyright 2006 by United Press International

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