Reducing Salt In The Diet May Protect The Heart And Kidneys Of Patients With Kidney Disease

It has always been known that consuming too much salt may be harmful to the kidneys. Now, a new study has revealed that reducing the intake of sodium may not only be beneficial to the kidneys but also to the heart of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

According to EurekAlert, excretion of proteins such as albumin in the urinary tract is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease or CKD. Known therapies that decrease albuminuria have the tendency to slow down kidney function from declining and also have a number of beneficial effects on the heart and blood vessels. However, presently available therapies still do not have the property to eliminate albuminuria in most patients suffering from CKD, leaving them with what is known as residual albuminuria.

A team led by Martin de Borst, MD, Ph.D. (University Medical Center Groningen, in The Netherlands), analyzed two interventions that have showed promise in reducing residual albuminuria: a drug (paricalcitol) that activates the vitamin D receptor and dietary sodium restriction.

In a randomized attempt that included 45 patients with CKD, each intervention was added to an optimized conventional treatment regimen during four 8-week periods. The investigators discovered that restricting sodium in the diet led to a significant decrease of residual albuminuria and blood pressure, whereas paricalcitol had no significant effect on these measures. However, paricalcitol combined with a low sodium diet resulted in the lowest albuminuria levels, reported Medical Xpress.

"What we found was that sodium restriction provided a relatively large beneficial effect, whereas the effect of paricalcitol was small. Thus, the impact of the combined intervention was largely due to the protective effect of sodium restriction," said Dr. de Borst.

It has also been noticed that most people consume two times more sodium than the 2 grams per day recommended by the World Health Association. "In our study, patients consumed on average 4 grams of sodium per day, which is well in line with global trends in sodium consumption among CKD patients," said Dr. de Borst.

"Interestingly, following our intervention aimed at reduced sodium intake, patients consumed 2.5 grams per day, which is still above the recommended level. This moderate restriction resulted in a strong reduction in albuminuria and blood pressure, indicating that even a moderate reduction in sodium intake may provide serious health benefits," he continued.