I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: News Articles => Topic started by: rose1999 on July 17, 2009, 07:47:45 AM
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(I hope I'm doing this right), this article appeared in The Times today and was also discussed on BBC Radio 4
From The Times
July 17, 2009 David Rose
A daily dose of baking soda could help patients with chronic kidney disease avoid having to undergo dialysis, a study suggests.
Research by British scientists has found that sodium bicarbonate — otherwise known as baking soda — can dramatically slow the progress of the condition.
About three million people in Britain suffer from chronic kidney disease, which can lead to complete kidney failure, requiring regular dialysis. Patients commonly suffer from low bicarbonate levels, a condition called metabolic acidosis.
The pilot study conducted at the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, was the first controlled test of the treatment in a clinical setting. In the study, published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, researchers studied 134 patients with advanced chronic kidney disease and metabolic acidosis.
One group was randomly allocated a small daily dose of sodium bicarbonate in tablet form in addition to their usual care. Over a period of one year, the kidney function of these patients declined about two thirds more slowly than that of individuals who were not given the tablets. Their rate of decline was little different from what would be expected with normal ageing.
Rapid progression of kidney disease occurred in just 9 per cent of patients given baking soda, compared with 45 per cent of the non-treated group.
Patients taking sodium bicarbonate tablets were also less likely to develop end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis, which takes over the function of the kidneys. Although their sodium levels were increased, it did not lead to problems with raised blood pressure.
An estimated 37,800 patients in Britain receive renal replacement therapy, which may involve dialysis or a kidney transplant.
The cost of looking after kidney failure patients accounts for 3 per cent of the entire NHS budget. On average, each patient on dialysis costs the NHS Ł30,000 per year.
Magdi Yaqoob, professor of Renal Medicine at the Royal London, described the results as “amazing”.
“This study shows that baking soda can be useful for people with kidney failure ... as long as the dose is regulated and under supervision,” he said. “This cheap and simple strategy also improves patients’ nutritional wellbeing 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 scientists pointed out that their research was limited by not having a “placebo group” of patients receiving a “dummy” treatment. It was also not “blind” - the researchers knew which patients were receiving the baking soda. “Our results will need validation in a multi-centre study,” Professor Yaqoob said
see http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6716929.eceSee
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Watch.... a box of baking soda will be $500.
PS - there must be an error in the URL.
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Here are a couple more links I found on this:
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/hscout/2009/07/17/hscout629029.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090716201123.htm
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Check this out: latest info on Sodium Bicarbonate Treatment (Kidney Research UK)
I have just read an article, by an eminent doctor,
on the website of “Kidney Research UK”, dated 17th July 2009,
which states that a daily treatment with the common baking substance Sodium Bicarbonate
may be very beneficial to patients with deteriorating kidney function.
But they don’t say the dose, and they do say it should be done under medical supervision.
Please check this out and let us know what you think? Thanks again, Kristina.
Topics Merged - okarol/admin
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My transplant team has had me on 1350 mg of sodium bicarb twice a day since transplant. I never asked them the reasoning behind it....they give you so many things...it's just 4 more pills a day to me. :)
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Baking soda tastes kind of nasty. Sodium bicarb can be purchased over the counter at your local drug store in pill form, they resemble a fat aspirin. I currently take 1350 mg twice a day as prescribed by my transplant team. I think I paid $16.50 USD for 1000 pills. Mine are 625 mg each.
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I was taking sodium bicarb for a year or so before transplant. My post transplant doctor stopped it. Now my creatinine is creeping up a bit, so my neph. put me back on sodium bicarb, 650 mg three times a day. He said "That should take care of it". I hope he's right.
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The patients in the research ALL had metabolic acidosis (i.e. low bicarb levels) as well as CKD.
I don't know if low bicarb is general or rare for CKD patients, so taking bicarb may or may not help the majority.
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Here's the link to the article http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6716929.ece
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Dear Wenchie58 and Kellyt,
Could you please tell me if the doctors warned you of any side-effects from taking Sodium-Bicarbonate-tablets?
Is the size of dose related to body weight or not?
Have you felt any side effects which you attribute to the taking of Sodium-Bicarbonate-tablets?
I shall find out if I have a deficiency which warrants me taking it, but all the same I am interested
to find out anything about side-effects because of my intolerance to tablets etc.
Thanks from Kristina.
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P.S. This test about low bicarb levels, is it a simple blood-test?
And how much does it cost? Thanks again, Kristina.
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I have been taking bicarb before and after my transplant. There usually aren't any side effects of it. I think there are warnings about large doses causing stomach problems. I think a Basic Metabolic panel shows bi-barb levels. I just had a mild after taste when I first started taking it. It went away after awhile.
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Does it count if the bicarb is in a banana cake? lol
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P.S. This test about low bicarb levels, is it a simple blood-test?
Just test blood pH (acidity). If your blood is acidic, you've got acidosis, suggesting that you don't have enough bicarb in your blood to buffer the acid.
That's what bicarb does. It neutralizes acid. (It's an old-fashioned remedy for heartburn.)
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rod has been taking baking soda for his heartburn all his life in stead of tums or rolaids ect. so i dont believe it he still got kidney failure...
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P.S. This test about low bicarb levels, is it a simple blood-test?
And how much does it cost? Thanks again, Kristina.
I don't know how much it costs, but it is always included in my monthly hemodialysis blood chemistries.
It's either listed as Carbon Dioxide, CO2 or Bicarbonate. The reference range is between 22-29 mEq/L. But sometimes different labs may vary those numbers slightly (20-30 mEq/L).
8)
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Thanks very much for answering my questions.
It is very much appreciated.
Kind regards from Kristina.
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I was never told of any side effects and I haven't seen/felt any when taking it. I figure that's the mildest pill I take. :)
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Kristina..
I have had no side effects from it, even when they had me on a higher dose. It's just another pill.
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It will grab hold of your tongue if you don't take with a lot of fluid, though. yuk!