The Study
Sodium bicarbonate for kidney transplant recipients with metabolic acidosis in Switzerland: a multicentre, randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial.
This study is like a fair test where half the people got a pill that fixes acid in their blood, and half got a fake pill. After two years, both groups’ kidneys got worse at about the same rate — so the pill didn’t help slow kidney decline. But it did fix the acid problem. So we know it works for acid, but not for protecting kidneys.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Doctors gave kidney transplant patients baking soda pills to fix their blood's acidity and see if it helped their kidneys last longer.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 575 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even though the blood became less acidic, the kidneys kept getting worse at the same speed — so baking soda didn't help protect the transplant.
- 2Baking soda raised blood bicarbonate from 21.3 to 23.0 mmol/L and pH from 7.37 to 7.39, but kidneys still declined at the same rate: about -1.86 mL/min/year on placebo and -1.83 mL/min/year on baking soda.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Lancet
Year
2023
Authors
N. Mohebbi, Alexander Ritter, A. Wiegand, Nicole Graf, Suzan Dahdal, D. Sidler, S. Arampatzis, K. Hadaya, T. Mueller, C. Wagner, R. Wüthrich
Related Content
Claims (4)
In adults who received a kidney transplant and have metabolic acidosis, taking 1.5–4.5 grams of sodium bicarbonate daily for two years raises blood bicarbonate and pH levels but does not change the rate at which kidney function declines.
In adults who have had a kidney transplant and have metabolic acidosis, taking 1.5 to 4.5 grams of sodium bicarbonate daily for two years increases blood bicarbonate levels from 21.3 to 23.0 mmol/L and raises blood pH from 7.37 to 7.39, correcting the acid-base imbalance.
In adults who received a kidney transplant and have metabolic acidosis, taking 1.5–4.5 grams of sodium bicarbonate daily for two years does not lead to more serious side effects or deaths than taking a placebo.
Taking sodium bicarbonate by mouth raises bicarbonate levels outside muscle cells, allowing hydrogen ions to leave the cells and lowering acid levels inside the cells.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.