Patients with kidney disease benefit from a diet high in fruits, vegetables

Washington, Nov 21 (ANI): A diet high in fruits and vegetables can benefit patients with kidney disease, suggests a new study.

In patients with kidney disease, the Western diet produces an acidic environment in the body that has numerous negative effects and worsens with age as kidney function declines.

Nimirit Goraya, MD (Texas A and M College of Medicine and Scott and White Healthcare) and her colleagues conducted a study to see if consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables that counteract this acidity might improve the kidney health of 40 patients who have moderately reduced kidney function due to high blood pressure.

30 days of this diet reduced urine excretion of three indicators of kidney injury: albumin, transforming growth factor, and N-acetyl-á-D- glucosaminidase.

"These preliminary studies support the need for larger long-term studies to determine if this simple and relatively inexpensive intervention helps reduce the risk of subsequent worsening of kidney function in patients with hypertension-associated kidney disease," said Dr. Goraya.

Study co-authors include Jan Simoni, PhD (Texas Tech University Health Sciences); Kristine Broglio (Texas A and M University); and Donald E. Wesson, MD (Texas A and M College of Medicine and Scott and White Healthcare).

The study abstract will be presented as a poster on Saturday, November 20, 2010 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM MT in Exhibit Halls A and F of the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO. (ANI)