New research suggests diets high in acid content could increase the risk of kidney failure in those living with a chronic kidney disease (CKD), the American Society of Nephrology reported.
The findings suggest kidney disease patients should limit their intake of meats and increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables in order to reduce their risk of kidney failure.
To make their findings, the researchers looked at information on 1,486 adults with CKD that was part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III). The patients involved in the study were followed for a median of 14.2 years.
The team found higher levels of dietary acid were linked to kidney failure among the sample of patients. Patients who had high-acid diets were determined as three times more likely to experience kidney failure than those who had low-acid diets.
"Patients with chronic kidney disease may want to pay more attention to diet consumption of acid rich foods to reduce progression to kidney failure, in addition to employing recommended guidelines such as taking kidney-sparing medication and avoiding kidney toxins," said Dr. Tanushree Banerjee of UC San Francisco. "The high costs and suboptimal quality of life that dialysis treatments bring may be avoided by adopting a more healthy diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables."
The findings were published in a recent edition of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).
