Credit: Photo courtesy the Beckman Institute
Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology were part of a collaborative effort to investigate a new strategy to manage sodium levels in patients with kidney failure who were undergoing hemodialysis treatment. Thirst and chronic volume overload are some of the most perplexing and clinically significant problems in nephrology, said Kenneth Wilund, a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. However, the methods to treat these symptoms such as dietary and behavioral counseling are often ineffective. The study showed that four weeks of home-delivered, low sodium meals reduced weight gain associated with salt and water intake between hemodialysis sessions.