Acid levels in diet could have profound effects on kidney health
- Date:
- November 9, 2013
- Source:
- American Society of Nephrology (ASN)
- Summary:
- New research suggests that consuming extra fruits and vegetables, which are highly alkaline, improves kidney health. In patients with chronic kidney disease, those with high dietary acid levels experienced accelerated kidney function decline. In chronic kidney disease patients with low socioeconomic status, the detrimental effect of high dietary acid levels on progression to kidney failure was greater for blacks than for whites.
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Increased consumption of vegetable protein was linked with prolonged survival among kidney disease patients in a new a study. The findings will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2013 November 5¬-10 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA.
Due to poor kidney function, toxins that are normally excreted in the urine can build up in the blood of individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Research shows that compared with animal protein, vegetable protein intake in patients is linked with lower production of such toxins. It is unclear whether consuming more vegetable protein prolongs CKD patients' lives, however.
To investigate, a team led by Xiaorui Chen (University of Utah) studied 1,104 CKD patients in the1988-1994 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III and asked them about their animal and vegetable protein intake.
After controlling for various factors such as age, smoking, and BMI, the researchers found that for each 10 gram increase in vegetable protein intake per day, participants had a 14% lower risk of dying by the end of 2006. "Interventional trials are needed to establish whether increasing vegetable protein will decrease mortality in the CKD population," they wrote.
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Materials provided by American Society of Nephrology (ASN). Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
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