Diets High In Sodium & Artificially Sweetened Soda Linked To Kidney Function Decline

[Arnold]

Diets High In Sodium And Artificially Sweetened Soda Linked To Kidney Function Decline

ScienceDaily (Nov. 2, 2009) — Individuals who consume a diet high in sodium or artificially sweetened drinks are more likely to experience a decline in kidney function, according to two papers being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's annual meeting in San Diego, California.

Julie Lin MD, MPH, FASN and Gary Curhan, MD, ScD, FASN of Brigham and Women's Hospital studied more than 3,000 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study to identify the impact of sodium and sweetened drinks on kidney function.

"There are currently limited data on the role of diet in kidney disease," said Dr. Lin. "While more study is needed, our research suggests that higher sodium and artificially sweetened soda intake are associated with greater rate of decline in kidney function."

The first study, "Associations of Diet with Kidney Function Decline," examined the influence of individual dietary nutrients on kidney function decline over 11 years in more than 3,000 women participants of the Nurses' Health Study. The authors found that "in women with well-preserved kidney function, higher dietary sodium intake was associated with greater kidney function decline, which is consistent with experimental animal data that high sodium intake promotes progressive kidney decline."

The second study, also conducted by Dr. Lin and Dr. Curhan, "Associations of Sweetened Beverages with Kidney Function Decline," examined the influence of sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages on kidney function decline in the same group of Nurses' Health Study participants. An analysis of the nationally representative NHANES III participants had previously reported an association between sugar-sweetened soda and urinary protein, but data on kidney function change was not available. This investigation reported "a significant two-fold increased odds, between two or more servings per day of artificially sweetened soda and faster kidney function decline; no relation between sugar-sweetened beverages and kidney function decline was noted" said Dr. Lin. This association persisted even after the study authors accounted for age, caloric intake, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cigarette smoking, physical activity, and cardiovascular disease. The mechanisms for kidney decline in the setting of high intake of artificial sweetenters have not been previously studied and deserve further investigation.

 

[Built]

These were nurses whose health was followed, right?

Nurses are a notoriously unhealthy group. I see them standing in the rain outside hospitals smoking cigarettes all the time, obese and overworked. My guess is these subjects aren't eating very well, aren't drinking much water and aren't athletes! Hardly generalizable to our particular demographic.

I remain unconcerned about modest consumption of these items by healthy, well-hydrated athletes.

 

[T_man]

These were nurses whose health was followed, right?

Nurses are a notoriously unhealthy group. I see them standing in the rain outside hospitals smoking cigarettes all the time, obese and overworked. My guess is these subjects aren't eating very well, aren't drinking much water and aren't athletes! Hardly generalizable to our particular demographic.

I remain unconcerned about modest consumption of these items by healthy, well-hydrated athletes.

Thats a select few though. Do you think most of them would smoke when they see people having severe lung complications from smoking? Theres obviously smokers in every area, even athletes.

Besides, this is a more viable study because not everybody eats like an athlete do they?

 

[Built]

Thats a select few though. Do you think most of them would smoke when they see people having severe lung complications from smoking? Theres obviously smokers in every area, even athletes.

I don't know how many health care pros you know, but from what I've seen, nurses - and doctors for that matter - are notoriously blase about their health. I'm more surprised when I see a fit health care professional than when I see an out of shape one.

Theirs is a culture of overwork - many work in excess of 70 hours a week, working double and back to back shifts. The stress takes a toll, and it shows.

Besides, this is a more viable study because not everybody eats like an athlete do they?

Not everyone does.

This study is not done on athletes. It may not be particularly generalizable to us since our bodies make better use of the food that we eat.

Put it this way - most folks outside physical culture don't consider salt and dextrose to be ergogenic aids, but we do: sodium helps keep muscles hydrated, and the insulin response due to dextrose helps us repair and grow muscle. Besides, most of us here consume fairly premeditated diets. Most outside of our weird little world wouldn't know how many calories they eat or how much protein. It's one of my pet peeves with this type of research - it doesn't pertain to me because it wasn't designed in a way that helps me tailor my diet.

 

[T_man]

I agree it wasnt the best sample. I was just trying to be nice to the nurses who helped me get through a cold

However, it does say diets high in sodium and artificially sweetened drinks. Having your RDA is beneficial and in no way high but if it's high then it's a problem right?

 

[Ben dur]

i particularly love how it specifies what "high" is

and what artificial sweeteners are they refering to?

theres alot of details being left out here...

i seriously doubt that aspartame, asulfame potassium, and sucrolose have the same effects, being so chemically different...

does this study pertain to stevia which claims to be a "natural" sweetener

further are these even controlled studies?
or could their be other variables in play here...
it seems to me that almost any study done on "nurses" could not be very closely controlled...

 

[Built]

I agree it wasnt the best sample. I was just trying to be nice to the nurses who helped me get through a cold

However, it does say diets high in sodium and artificially sweetened drinks. Having your RDA is beneficial and in no way high but if it's high then it's a problem right?

Like protein, right? I mean, any more than 15% of your calories from protein is a problem, right?