A simple switch in the type of salt we use in our food could have huge health benefits worldwide, research out this week suggests.

Scientists in Australia and the U.S. calculated what might happen if we replaced standard table salt with a lower-sodium version that includes potassium under different scenarios. Up to three million deaths from cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease could eventually be prevented globally every year, they estimated. Numerous health groups have called for the widespread adoption of potassium-enriched salt, citing the known health risks of having too much sodium in our diet.

“The projected benefits are substantially greater than those anticipated from sodium reduction strategies alone, reflecting the combined effects of reduced sodium exposure and increased potassium intake,” the authors wrote in their paper, published Wednesday in Nature Health.

Delicious as a little dash of table salt (sodium chloride) can be in a meal, one of its key ingredients comes with a real drawback. Regularly consuming too much sodium can raise our risk of high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, including heart failure. And just about everyone is eating more sodium than they should. On average, Americans consume more than 3,300 milligrams of sodium per day, well above the recommended limit of 2,300 milligrams a day.

Efforts to convince people to directly cut salt and sodium from their diets have basically been a failure , and people aren’t rushing out to buy the low-salt versions of popular foods. But in recent years, a new strategy has emerged.

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