Fruits and Vegetables Diet Improves Kidney Functions and Electrolyte Status in Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (N.I.D.D.M) Subjects

Abstract

Kidney failure and electrolyte imbalance are some of the complications associated with diabetes mellitus, if prompt treatment is not instituted it may lead to renal disease and dietary influence has been established on the prognosis of many diseases. Thus effects of fruits and vegetables diet were investigated on kidney functions and electrolyte status of some selected Non-Insulin dependent diabetic subjects at the cardiovascular clinic of Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria.

The patients with mean fasting blood glucose (FBG) 7.84± 0.95 mmol dl^-1 were placed on 300 g of fruits and vegetables per day in addition to their normal drugs and food intake for eight weeks. Standard laboratory methods were employed for biochemical assay; while the data were analyzed using analytic and descriptive statistics.

A significant difference (p < 0.05) was noticed between baseline and eighth week’s values in the following parameters: plasma creatinine, 3.48± 0.095 to 1.79±0.57 mgdL^-1; urea, 39.05±2.04-23.20±1.50 and uric acid 5.37± 0.27-2.50±0.59 mgdL^-1. No significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed in plasma electrolyte values when the    baseline value were compared with the eighth week’s values. After the eight weeks, the fruits and vegetables rations were stopped for two weeks and the parameters were measured again. Significant difference(p<0.05) were observed in all the values by comparing week eight with week ten values; plasma creatinine, 1.79±0.52 to 3.01± 0.68 mgdl^-1,plasma urea, 39.05± 2.40 to 23.20± 1.50  mgdl^-1 and plasma uric acid 2.50±0.59 to 3.61±0.50 mgd^-1, however no significant difference (p> 0.05) was observed in serum electrolyte.

Our results showed that fruits and vegetables consumption improved kidney function and did not affect plasma electrolytes adversely.

KEY WORDS: Diabetes mellitus, kidney functions, creatinine, urea, uric acid fruits and vegetables