Could our daily bread soon play a role in improving blood pressure?

Published: 24 September 2024

A simple slice of bread might soon offer more than just a tasty staple food – it could become a key ingredient in helping to reduce high blood pressure, a condition affecting 1 in 3 New Zealanders.

With funding from the Heart Foundation, Professor Rachael McLean, a researcher at the University of Otago, will investigate a novel bread recipe that includes a salt substitute with reduced sodium and added potassium.

A diet that contains too much sodium (salt) or too little potassium (primarily from fruit and vegetables) can increase blood pressure. However, replacing ordinary table salt with a salt substitute that has reduced sodium and added potassium can help reduce blood pressure and heart disease.

“We will use the food science laboratory at the University of Otago to test several concentrations of salt substitute in bread, and formally assess the physical qualities of the bread as well as its taste,” Rachael says. 

She says she will partner with Puketeraki Marae, north of Dunedin, where local kaumatua and whānau will incorporate the new bread into their meals. 

“The key is making this healthier option as appealing as possible. If people don’t notice a difference in taste or texture, they’re more likely to adopt it into their daily diets.”

“I’m excited to explore if our everyday bread could play a role in improving heart health. Who knows, maybe this will become the bread of the future.” 

Heart Foundation Medical Director Dr Gerry Devlin supports this simple, yet potentially powerful research to address one of the country’s most pressing health issues.

“I am excited about this study and its potential to help improve the management of high blood pressure, the number one cause of preventable deaths globally.”

He says this research aligns with the Heart Foundation’s broader efforts to improve New Zealand’s food supply by reducing salt and sugar content of everyday foods, through its Food Reformulation programme.