Daily dose of baking soda may help fight kidney disease

The study:
The study embarked by the researchers at the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, enrolled 134 patients with advanced chronic kidney disease and metabolic acidosis, a condition resulting from low bicarbonate levels.

Patients were randomly divided into two groups. While both groups received the usual medical care corresponding to the advanced chronic kidney disease, one group received a daily tablet of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).

Findings of the study:
After a year long follow-up, the rate of decline in kidney functions in patients taking the daily tablet was two-thirds slower than in the group not prescribed the tablet.

Rapid progression of kidney disease occurred in 9 percent of patients taking sodium bicarbonate, as against 45 percent in the group not taking the tablet, the researchers found.

Also, such patients were less likely to develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring dialysis, compared to patients in the non-treated group.

Patients taking sodium bicarbonate also showed improvement in several measures of nutrition. Moreover, even though the therapy increased the body’s sodium levels, the patients were not susceptible to problems of high blood pressure.

“This cheap and simple strategy also improves patients' nutritional status, and has the potential of translating into significant economic, quality of life, and clinical outcome benefits," lead researcher, Magdi Yaqoob, from Royal London Hospital averred.

Implications of the study:
As advanced chronic kidney disease is often a result of low bicarbonate levels, the patients are susceptible to range of other health problems.

“This study shows that baking soda can be useful for people with kidney failure ... as long as the dose is regulated and under supervision” Yaqoob cautioned.

Findings appear online July 16 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.