MONDAY, Nov. 2, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD), receiving fruits and vegetables (F&V) is associated with better clinical outcomes than standard treatment with sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3 [HCO3]) or usual care, according to a study presented at Kidney Week, the annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrology, held from Oct. 21 to 25 in Denver.
Nimrit Goraya, M.D., of Baylor Scott and White Health in Temple, Texas, and colleagues compared clinical outcomes in patients with CKD stage 3 and metabolic acidosis treated with F&V or HCO3 compared to usual care. Participants were randomly assigned to F&V to reduce dietary acid by half, oral HCO3 (0.3 mmol/kg/day), or usual care receiving standard CKD treatment (36 participants in each group) and were followed for 10 years.
The researchers found there were 115 hospitalizations and 166 emergency department visits (EDV) during follow-up, and 34 patients progressed to kidney replacement therapy (KRT). F&V was associated with fewer hospitalizations (14 versus 64), fewer EDV (20 versus 88), and less progression to KRT (four versus 16) compared with usual care. Regarding hospitalization, EDV, and progression to KRT, no difference was seen between HCO3 and usual care. There was no difference observed between the groups in total 10-year costs; treatment costs for F&V, but not HCO3, increased more slowly than those for usual care. Year 10 annual care cost was 19.67 percent lower for F&V than usual care and 5.16 percent lower for F&V than HCO3.
These findings "highlight the potential quality-of-life and health-system value of investing in fruits and vegetables as a treatment strategy, particularly when favorable clinical outcomes can be achieved without increasing overall costs," Goraya said in a statement.
