High Dietary Acid Load Linked to CKD Progression

A study of 217 elderly CKD patients on a low-protein diet with normal serum bicarbonate levels found high dietary acid load, in terms of net endogenous acid production (NEAP), was associated with CKD progression. Compared with patients in the lowest quartile of NEAP, those in the second, third, and fourth quartiles had 3.9 times, 4.7 times, and 4.3 times increased odds of experiencing a 25% decline in eGFR or starting dialysis, according to the American Journal of Nephrology study. An accompanying editorial notes the need to assess whether reduced NEAP should be standard care for patients with reduced eGFR.