Indication: Bone density (postmenopausal women)

Source: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, October 11, 2006: doi: 10.1681/ASN.2006030233 (online ahead of print).

Research:
Chronic acid loads are an obligate consequence of the high animal/grain protein content of the Western diet. The effect of this diet-induced metabolic acidosis on bone mass is controversial. This study included 161 postmenopausal women, average age 59 years—all had low bone mass placing them at risk for fracture. One group was randomly assigned to take potassium citrate supplement as tablets daily, providing a very small amount of “base” (alkali). The other group took a potassium chloride supplement, which provided the same amount of potassium but without base. Before and after 6 to 12 months of treatment, the women underwent measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, a highly precise technique for diagnosis and monitoring of osteoporosis.

Results:
At the end of the study, women taking the base supplement experienced a significant increase (1%) in BMD in the lumbar spine. For women taking the non-base potassium chloride supplement, lumbar spine BMD decreased significantly (1%). Thus, researchers said treatment with the base supplement made nearly a 2% difference in lumbar spine BMD—similar to the effect of some of the standard drug treatments for osteoporosis. Increases in bone mass also occurred in the hip. Women taking the base supplement also had a decrease in the amount of calcium excreted in the urine. This, along with other tests, suggested that the base supplement increased the skeleton’s retention of calcium, thereby reducing bone loss, on average, throughout the year of the study.