Manipulating dietary fibre: Gum Arabic making friends of the colon and the kidney

• There is a clear association between dietary fibre intake and outcome of renal disease.
• Beneficial effects may depend on alteration of colonic microflora.
• Benefit may be mediated by change in colon-derive uraemic solutes and short chain fatty acids.
• Gum Arabic is a fibre which can manipulate colonic microflora and potentially influence outcome.

There is an appreciation that the incidence of chronic renal disease is increasing worldwide. This is a health issue, which carries significant morbidity and mortality for patients. Furthermore treatment of patients with renal failure is expensive and therefore represents a significant financial burden to health economies. This review provides an overview of the in vitro, in vivo and clinical evidence supporting the potential therapeutic benefit of manipulating dietary fibre intake and specifically supplementation of the diet with Gum Arabic in patients with progressive renal disease.

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