Are Food Additives a Really Problematic Hidden Source of Potassium for Chronic Kidney Disease Patients?

Dietary treatment in chronic kidney disease (CKD) recommends limiting the consumption of foods rich in potassium to reduce risk of hyperkalemia. Currently, the increased supply of processed foods on the market could be a new hidden source of potassium for these patients, which is causing concern among health professionals who treat them. The aim of this study was to check which EU authorized food additives contain potassium, its conditions of use and classified them according to their risk for CKD patients. In addition, the frequency of appearance of potassium additives in processed foods in a European sample through the analysis of 715 products labeling from France, Germany, and Spain were evaluated. Results showed 41 potassium-containing additives allowed in the European Union, but only 16 were identified, being the most frequent: E202; E252, E340, E450, E452, E508, and E950. The 37.6% of the processed products analyzed contained at least one potassium additive. The food categories that showed the greatest presence of additives were breaded products, meat derivatives, non-alcoholic beverage, ready-to-eat products, and cereal derivatives. Potassium additives are widely distributed in processed foods and therefore pose a risk of hidden sources of potassium in CKD dietary management. These results could be really useful for developing educational tools for CKD patients.

Automated summary

The study found 41 potassium-containing additives allowed in the EU, but only 16 were actually identified, mostly found in breaded products, meat derivatives, non-alcoholic beverages, ready-to-eat products, and cereal derivatives, with approximately 37.6% of processed products containing at least one potassium additive.