7th Global Nephrology Meeting
Cape Town, South Africa
Desiree de Waal
University of Vermont Medical Center, USA
Title: Medical Nutrition therapy delays dialysis and improves biomarkers
Biography
Biography: Desiree de Waal
Abstract
As kidney disease progresses, altered nutrition biomarkers are observed which may be related to poor dietary habits. The typical North American diet is low in fruits, vegetables and whole grains high in protein and processed foods which can affect the balance of the body’s electrolytes, minerals and contributes to the uremic environment of the digestive system. Evolving evidence has found a link between the gut and kidney health suggesting a need for emphasis on nutrition for the care of a patient with compromised kidney function. Recently a 10 year retrospective study was recently published in the Journal of Renal Nutrition demonstrating that the decline in kidney function was less in patients who received Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) at follow-up compared to those not receiving MNT. The participants who received MNT were less likely to start dialysis and had more favorable biomarkers. Albumin and biomarkers of chronic kidney disease- mineral and bone disorder were more likely to be within normal limits in the MNT group. The kidney diet is one of the most challenging obstacles patients face. Diet is often entrenched as part of a person’s lifestyle and they do not feel an immediate negative physical response with poor diet choices. With costs of kidney disease rising, it seems prudent to recommend a therapy that has been shown to delay the progression of kidney disease and improve biomarkers.