My wife’s cardiologist recommends she drink salty sports drinks as her potassium level drops when she is sodium depleted.
“...her potassium level drops...”
Potassium insufficiency is the real problem. We are all generally deficient. Potassium deficiency is related to many health problems, including those cardiovascular related.
Replace some of your sodium chloride (salt) with potassium chloride. It too has a salty taste. Eat a backed potato with the skin - beats bananas for potassium content. Use butter, not margarine on the baked potato, and sprinkle with some potassium chloride, or a mix of sodium and potassium chloride. There are some low sodium salts available that have more potassium than sodium. Read labels.