Eating a couple more apples (and broccoli florets, cucumbers, bananas or green beans) may really help keep the doctor away — especially for people with high blood pressure at risk for heart and kidney disease, according to new research. "Patients with high blood pressure, the two big problems that they get is heart disease and kidney disease," said lead study investigator Dr. Donald Wesson, professor in the department of internal medicine at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin.
Top health headlines, all in one place The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App "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," he said. Animal products — notably meat — tend to produce acid, while fruits and vegetables are base-producing when consumed, Wesson said. To explore how plants could help, researchers conducted a randomized control trial of 153 people with hypertension and a high risk of worsening chronic kidney disease.
The participants were divided into three groups: one that added 2 to 4 cups of fruits and vegetables to their diet, one that added two daily doses (of four or five 650-milligram tablets) of baking soda, and one that continued with standard medical care. Baking soda reduces acid, the study said. After five years of study, researchers found that both the diet higher in plants, and the baking sod.