Despite persistent efforts to enhance hypertension treatment through pharmacological means, hypertension-related chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular mortality continue to rise. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death among patients with chronic kidney disease.

One diet that has been thoroughly studied to halt hypertension is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, which has been shown to lower blood pressure and is recommended as the first-line treatment for primary hypertension. However, it remains under-prescribed and under-implemented despite robust supporting data.

The DASH diet and other diets high in fruits and vegetables are linked to lower blood pressure, reduced risk and progression of chronic kidney disease, and decreased cardiovascular disease indicators and mortality.

A recent study published in The American Journal of Medicine unveils the power of diet in protecting people from chronic heart and kidney diseases.

“…an acid-producing diet (one high in animal products) was kidney-harmful, and one that is base-producing (one high in fruits and vegetables) is kidney-healthy,” said author, Dr. Donald Wesson.

“Other investigators showed that a diet high in fruits and vegetables is heart-healthy. We hypothesized that one way that fruits and vegetables are both kidney- and heart-healthy is that they reduce the amount of acid in the diet and therefore the amount of acid that kidneys have to remove from the body.”

The researchers hypothesized that reducing dietary acid through fruits and vegetables could enhance both kidney and heart health. To test this, they conducted a study with participants who had hypertension and high levels of urine albumin excretion (macroalbuminuria), indicating chronic kidney disease and a high risk of cardiovascular disease.

In this randomized control trial, 153 participants were divided into three groups and followed over the course of 5 years:

1. Those adding 2–4 cups of base-producing fruits and vegetables to their daily diet.
2. Those taking NaHCO3 (sodium bicarbonate, aka baking soda) tablets.
3. Those receiving standard medical care.

The results were illuminating: both fruits and vegetables and NaHCO3 improved kidney health, but only fruits and vegetables lowered blood pressure and improved cardiovascular disease risk indicators.

“This supports our recommendation that fruits and vegetables should be ‘foundational’ treatment for patients with hypertension, because we accomplish all three goals (kidney health, lower blood pressure, and reduced cardiovascular disease risk) with fruits and vegetables, and we can do so with lower medication doses,” co-author, Dr. Maninder Kahlon.

Hypertension and its subsequent down stream problems of heart disease and renal failure is not a genetic issue nor a lack of healthcare issues, it is heavily influenced by your day to day decisions from exercise to how you eat. This study adds to the plethora of research already supporting a plant-based diet for treating heart and kidney diseases. So be a man, eat up, and no excuses.

N Goraya et al. Kidney and Cardiovascular Protection Using Dietary Acid Reduction in Primary Hypertension: A Five-Year, Interventional, Randomized, Control Trial. The American Journal of Medicine (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2024.06.006