From the Guidelines
A renal diet is indeed low in sodium.
Key Points
- The recommended daily sodium intake for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is less than 2,300 mg/day 1.
- Restricting dietary sodium can help control blood pressure and reduce cardiovascular risk 1.
- Sodium retention can lead to an increase in blood pressure, kidney function decline, and a higher risk for cardiovascular events 1.
- Individualization of dietary sodium intake is necessary based on comorbid conditions, medication use, blood pressure, and laboratory data 1.
- A healthy kidney diet should be high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fiber, legumes, plant-based proteins, unsaturated fats, and nuts, and lower in processed meats, refined carbohydrates, and sweetened beverages 1.
- The general recommendation for sodium intake is to limit it to less than 2 g/d (or <5 g of sodium chloride) 1.
From the Research
Renal Diet and Sodium Intake
- A renal diet is often recommended to be low in sodium, as excessive dietary sodium intake is associated with an increased risk of hypertension, especially in the setting of chronic kidney disease (CKD) 2.
- Dietary sodium restriction is regularly recommended to control extracellular fluid expansion, hypertension, and cardiovascular risk in CKD patients 3.
- Reducing sodium intake to a target of 50-85 mmol/24 h in patients with CKD can reduce blood pressure and proteinuria, and should be actively pursued to improve outcome in CKD 4.
Benefits of Low-Sodium Diet
- A low-sodium diet can help manage metabolic acidosis, as well as renal effects on fibroblast growth factor 23 or gut microbiota in CKD patients 3.
- Low-sodium diets can also help delay common findings of kidney failure environment such as sodium-sensitivity, micro-inflammation, arterial stiffness, metabolic acidosis, and sarcopenia 3.
- Recipes tailored to CKD patients often emphasize low-sodium content, and can be adapted to low phosphorus, low protein, or low potassium diets as needed 5.
Research on Low-Sodium Diets
- A systematic review found seven studies that met the inclusion criteria for examining the effects of a low-sodium diet on reducing progression rate of CKD 6.
- The quality of evidence for interventions, including low-sodium diets, was evaluated using GRADE, and the results presented information relating to the effectiveness and safety of these interventions 6.
- Further research is needed to confirm the benefits of low-sodium diets in CKD patients, particularly in relation to clinical outcomes 2, 3.