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‘Acid-reducing’ diet rich in fruit and veg lowers heart and kidney disease risk, study finds
A new study has found that eating lots of fruit and vegetables can reduce your risk of heart and kidney disease.
A diet rich in fruit and vegetables reduces the amount of acid in the stomach, which can result in great effects on your health.
Fruit and veg lowers heart and kidney disease risk
The study by researchers at the University of Texas divided 153 participants who all had high blood pressure (hypertension) and a risk of progressing heart and kidney disease into three groups.
One was given two to four cups of fruits and vegetables, another consumed two daily doses of baking soda and the third continued with standard medical care.
They found that chronic kidney disease progression was slower in the participants who received fruits and vegetables. Their blood pressure was also lower and heart disease risk improved.
The trial concluded that fruits and vegetables should be used as a “foundational hypertension treatment” to reduce chronic kidney disease progression and cardiovascular disease risk.
Diet rich in fruit and veg reduces acid in the body
These benefits occur because a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is alkaline, meaning it decreases levels of acid in the blood. Most modern diets are higher in animal-sourced products than plant-sourced foods, which makes them more acid-producing.
Acid-producing diets are associated with increased incidence�and progression of chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease risk. Introducing fruits and vegetables reduces this acid, in turn lowering heart and kidney disease risk.
“Patients with high blood pressure, the two big problems that they get is heart disease and kidney disease, the study’s lead investigator Dr. Donald Wesson said.
“The study tested whether or not reducing the amount of acid in our diet reduces the kidney disease and heart disease-related complications of high blood pressure.”
Some fruit and veg is more ‘acid-reducing’
Foods are given a Potential Renal Acid Load (PRAL) score, a measure of the acid that the body produces after ingesting. This is different to pH, which measures the acidity of a food before it is consumed.
If a food has a negative score, that means it reduces acidity in the stomach during digestion. Many fruit and vegetables have negative PRAL scores.
One report reveals that a 100g portion of raisins is the best at reducing acid with a score of -9.0. Others include pomegranates (-8.1), bananas (-5.2) and green grapes (-2.4).
Vegetables with a negative score include raw beets (-5.4), raw radish (-4.7), raw kale (-2.6), raw cucumber (-2.0), cooked pumpkin (-1.9) and cooked potato (-1.7).
This lowering of acidity in the stomach can also be extremely helpful for people suffering from GERD�or Acid Reflux.
