Baking Soda Can Help Chronic Kidney Disease
Sat, July 25, 2009 at 02:00AM Every ten years or so, someone discovers a new use for sodium bicarbonate. Treating acid indigestion, used in baking, cleaning, in cat litter, as a fridge deodorizer, and as toothpaste – Arm & Hammer products are found in every household. This summer, a new use has been reported: treatment of chronic kidney disease. An important study of this has been published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
The study included 134 patients with advanced chronic renal disease (progressively impaired creatinine clearance and decreased serum bicarbonate levels). Half the patients (randomly selected) were given a small daily oral supplement of sodium bicarbonate for 2 years (on average, 1.8 grams daily); the others had standard care during this time.
The rate of decline in creatinine clearance was taken as the critical indication of progression of kidney disease. At the end of the study, this rate was significantly slower for those given the bicarbonate. In addition, rapid disease progression was only seen in 9% of these patients, compared with 45% of those having standard care. And only 6.5% of bicarbonate-treated patients developed end-stage renal disease (ESRD), compared to 33% of the standard-care group.
As the investigators stated: “This cheap and simple strategy improves the nutritional status of the patients and has the potential of translating into significant economic, quality-of-life, and clinical outcome benefits”. Score another hit for Arm & Hammer.
Reader Comments (1)
It was interesting to know about baking soda. I found an acupressure point that could help the kidneys. It is point UB23, just at the bottom of the back level with the waist., two finger width either side of the spine. Make your hands into a fist and roll over this point for about one minute each day.