Research Awards Recipients

Lay Summary

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health concern. More than 1 in 10 Canadians have CKD and the rates continue to rise. CKD is a leading cause of disability and death around the world, and is very expensive to treat. Potassium is a mineral we get from our food, especially fruits and vegetables, that plays a key role in maintaining numerous bodily functions and the kidney is where potassium levels in the blood are controlled. High blood potassium, happens in approximately 10% of patients with CKD and is associated with increased death. High blood potassium is most often seen when people have diabetes or are taking medications that increase potassium levels, but patients with CKD are still told to eat less potassium, which means avoiding many nutritious fruits and vegetables. This recommendation is unfortunately based on little evidence and it is unclear if lowering potassium from fruit and vegetables even lowers blood potassium. Furthermore, eating a lower potassium diet is not easy; it reduces what people with CKD can eat and can hurt their quality of life. In this 16-week study, we will test if changing the amount of potassium people with CKD are eating with fruits and vegetables changes the amount of potassium in their blood. We will do this by providing people with fruits and vegetables that are high or low in potassium for a period 6 weeks. We will then provide these same participants with fruits and vegetables that they didn't receive in the first 6 weeks, for 6 weeks in what is called a randomized crossover design. In a randomized crossover design everyone gets both treatments, but the order they get them in is chosen at random, like a coin toss. Twenty participants, will be recruited to this study. We will measure blood potassium during the study and see if it changes due to the change in potassium in the fruits and vegetables provided. We think that changing the amount of potassium that participants eat through fruit and vegetables will not really lead to a different level of potassium in the participants blood, and we think having higher potassium fruits and vegetables in their diet will lead to an increase in the participants quality of life. This study's results could change the dietary recommendation given to people living CKD and potentially allow them to eat a greater variety of food.