Baking soda for your kitchen … and your kidneys
17 July 2009
A daily dose of simple sodium bicarbonate – household baking soda commonly used for baking, cleaning, acid indigestion, bee stings, even deodorizing fridges – can also prevent the need for patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) to go on a dialysis machine.
Regulated doses of baking soda under strict medical supervision appear to slow the decline of kidney function in some patients according to a study published today (Thurs) in the prestigious Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The lives of 3 million people in the UK are threatened by chronic kidney disease, according to Kidney Research UK.
Professor Magdi Yaqoob, professor of Renal Medicine at The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel east London, says experiments over the years have pointed to its potential value, but now a proper study has demonstrated the clear advantages for kidney sufferers of taking baking soda.
Professor Yaqoob said:
“It’s amazing. This is the first randomized controlled study of its kind. A simple remedy like sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), when used appropriately, can be very effective. This study shows baking soda can be useful for people with kidney failure. That is, as long as the dose is regulated and under supervision. What happens is the inflammation of kidney is prevented by baking soda because a chemical reaction takes place limiting ammonia production in the kidney.
“This cheap and simple strategy also improves patients' nutritional well-being and has the potential to improve quality of life and of course a clinical outcome that can remove the need for dialysis. Baking soda is not classed as a drug so this study has never been tried before.”
The study examined 134 patients with advanced CKD and low bicarbonate levels also called metabolic acidosis.
One group received a small daily dose of sodium bicarbonate in tablet form, in addition to their usual care. For this group, the rate of decline in kidney function was greatly reduced about two-thirds slower than in other patients.
Patients taking sodium bicarbonate even saw the rate of decline in their kidney function shrink to a level similar to the normal age-related decline.
Rapid progression of kidney disease occurred in just nine percent of patients taking sodium bicarbonate, compared to 45 percent of the other group. Patients taking sodium bicarbonate were also less likely to develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring dialysis.
Patients taking sodium bicarbonate also experienced nutritional benefits. Although their sodium levels went up, this didn't lead to any problems with increased blood pressure.
The researchers note some important limitations of their study - there was no placebo group and the researchers were aware of which patients were receiving sodium bicarbonate.
"Our results will need validation in a multicentre study," says Professor Yaqoob.
Contact: William Mach on 020 7480 4843 or Dan Wheelahan 020 7480 4892
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Notes for editors
1. Shari Leventhal, American Society of Nephrology: sleventhal@asn-online.org, 202-416-0658
2. As well as Prof Magdi Yaqoob, other authors were Ione de Brito-Ashurst, RD, Mira Varaganum, PhD, and Martin J. Raftery, MD (William Harvey Research Institute and Barts and the London NHS Trust, London). The authors reported no financial disclosures.
3. The study entitled, Bicarbonate Supplementation Slows Progression of CKD and Improves Nutritional Status will appear online at http://jasn.asnjournals.org/ on July 16, 2009, doi 10.1681/ASN.2008111205.
4. The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) does not offer medical advice. All content in ASN publications is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions, or adverse effects.
5. Founded in 1966, ASN is the world’s largest professional society devoted to the study of kidney disease. Comprised of 11,000 physicians and scientists, ASN continues to promote expert patient care, to advance medical research, and to educate the renal community. ASN also informs policymakers about issues of importance to kidney doctors and their patients. ASN funds research, and through its world-renowned meetings and first-class publications, disseminates information and educational tools that empower physicians.
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