Can a simple salt swap keep blood pressure in check?
NCT ID NCT07840742
First seen Sep 25, 2026 · Last updated Sep 25, 2026
Summary
Researchers are testing whether replacing regular table and cooking salt with a low-sodium, potassium-enriched substitute can prevent and control high blood pressure. The trial enrolls entire households that include at least one adult with hypertension and one without. About 400 households take part, with each household randomly assigned to receive either the low-sodium substitute or regular salt for 12 months. Neither the participants nor the researchers know which salt each household receives. The study measures blood pressure changes and new hypertension cases to see if the household approach works.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- A low-sodium salt substitute that replaces some sodium chloride with potassium chloride
- What this could lead to
- If it works, households could lower their blood pressure by making one simple change to the salt they cook with, without needing extra pills.
- What could go wrong
- The salt substitute may not lower blood pressure enough to matter, or families may not stick with it for a full year. People with kidney problems or on certain blood pressure medicines should be careful with extra potassium.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 800 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Household-level criteria: The household includes at least one adult aged 18 years or older with diagnosed hypertension. The household includes at least one adult aged 18 years or older without hypertension at baseline. Household members primarily share cooking and meals. All adult household members intended to be included in study evaluations provide written informed consent. -Participant-level criteria: Aged 18 years or older. Long-term resident of the study area with no plan to move away during the following 12 months. Consumes most meals at home. Provides written informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Household-level criteria: The household is currently using low-sodium salt or another potassium-containing salt substitute on a long-term basis. Any household member who routinely shares meals has a contraindication to potassium-enriched salt or is at increased risk of hyperkalemia, including chronic kidney disease, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \<60 mL/min/1.73 m², a history of dialysis, or a history of hyperkalemia. Any household member who routinely shares meals is pregnant. Any household member who routinely shares meals has hyperthyroidism. -Participant-level criteria: Currently participating in another interventional study that may affect blood pressure, sodium or potassium intake, or study outcomes. Serious cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease, severe liver disease, malignant tumor, severe mental illness, cognitive impairment, or another condition considered unsuitable for study participation. Unable to complete follow-up visits, standardized blood pressure measurements, or required data collection. Any other condition that, in the investigator's judgment, makes the individual unsuitable for participation.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Shihezi City People's Hospital
Shihezi, Xinjiang, 832000, China
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