Diet Soda and Salt: Destroying your Kidneys?

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Sprinkling extra salt and sipping diet soda may seem harmless, but new research links increased sodium and artificially sweetened soda to kidney disease.

Researchers studied more than 3,000 women and found those who drink at least two diet sodas daily double their rate of kidney function decline. Sodium also increased their odds, as demonstrated by test results consistent with previous experimental animal testing.

"There is currently limited data on the role of diet in kidney disease," Julie Lin, M.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, was quoted as saying. "While more study is needed, our research suggests that higher sodium and artificially sweetened soda intake are associated with greater rate of decline in kidney function."

Because most participants were white women, it is unknown whether results can also be applied to men or additional ethnicities. Results were consistent even after considering factors of age, caloric intake, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cigarette smoking, physical activity and cardiovascular disease.

SOURCE: Presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s annual meeting in San Diego, California, 2009