{"title":"Searching for Hidden Sources of Potassium and Phosphorus Additives in Adults Living With Chronic Kidney Disease.","authors":"Priyal Ketan Tailor, Amy S Y Lee, Kelly Picard","doi":"10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151733","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151733","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reducing dietary potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) intake is considered a cornerstone for managing hyperkalemia and hyperphosphatemia in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD). K and P additives in processed foods are a growing concern as hidden sources of these minerals, yet their prevalence is unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of foods purchased by individuals with CKD, including the prevalence and types of K and P additives and the food categories most associated with these additives. This observational cohort study involved adults with CKD who collected grocery receipts over 4 weeks. Receipts were used to identify foods that may contain K or P additives. Ingredient lists of processed and ultra-processed foods were reviewed to identify items containing these additives. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 31.0. Thirteen adults with CKD aged 54-80 (53.8% female, 84.6% of European descent) participated. A total of 889 food items were identified from 115 receipts, including 429 (48.3%) processed foods. Among these, 51 (11.9%) contained K additives only, 120 (28.0%) contained P additives only, and 34 (7.9%) contained both K and P additives. The most common K additive was K sorbate (57.3%), whereas the most common P additive was lecithin (42.6%). K additives were predominantly found in beverages (28.2%), sauces/salad dressings (20.0%), and ready-to-eat foods (20.0%). P additives were common in snacks (34.4%) and ready-to-eat foods (22.1%). Of 108 excluded foods, 65 items (60.2%) lacked food labels, with 25 (38.5%) being deli items and 23 (35.4%) being bakery items. Adults with CKD frequently purchased foods containing K and P additives. Educating patients about how to avoid these additives may help manage hyperkalemia and hyperphosphatemia. Future research is needed to validate the observed levels of additive exposure.</p>","PeriodicalId":21756,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in nephrology","volume":" ","pages":"151733"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149138326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cordelia Running, Reina L Mauer, Lurvin I Ventura Caballero, Lisa J Mauer
{"title":"Potassium and Phosphorus Food Additives: Why and Where to Find Them in Foods.","authors":"Cordelia Running, Reina L Mauer, Lurvin I Ventura Caballero, Lisa J Mauer","doi":"10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151730","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151730","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Potassium- and phosphorus-containing food additives represent large and functionally diverse classes of ingredients used to control flavor, texture, water dynamics, emulsification, pH, leavening, and shelf stability. Potassium-based additives, numbering over 70 approved compounds in the United States and European Union, are used as functional salts, buffering agents, antimicrobial preservatives, nonnutritive sweeteners, and leavening components, with expanding application in reformulated and reduced-sodium food products. Phosphorus-containing additives, encompassing more than 50 approved inorganic and organic phosphate compounds, constitute another major category of multifunctional ingredients used for emulsification, leavening, moisture retention, pH control, metal ion sequestration, and nutrient supplementation. Among these ingredients, many contain both potassium and phosphorus. These myriad additives differ substantially in chemical form, reactivity, solubility, and technological function, leading to distinct formulation roles and regulatory classifications. Despite their prevalence, dietary intake of potassium and phosphorus can be under-recognized, as ingredient labels typically declare additive names without quantifying the associated potassium or phosphorus contents. This review provides a structured reference for industry professionals and researchers by systematically categorizing potassium- and phosphorus-containing food additives according to technological function, food usage, chemistry, and regulatory status across major food safety authorities.</p>","PeriodicalId":21756,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in nephrology","volume":" ","pages":"151730"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149138259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy: Recent Advances and Future Directions.","authors":"Ying Zheng, Conghui Wang, Xuefeng Zhou, Shuwei Duan, Hanyu Zhu, Zheyi Dong, Zhe Feng, Xiangmei Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151716","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151716","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>IgAN is the most common primary glomerular disease worldwide. It is characterized by high heterogeneity and poor long-term prognosis. Integrated traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine (TCM-WM) has become a distinct and effective strategy for the treatment of IgAN in China. This review summarizes recent evidence-based research into integrated TCM-WM in IgAN management and its contribution to our understanding of IgAN etiology, current clinical practices, and the therapeutic mechanisms of TCM-WM treatments. Western explanations for IgAN pathogenesis center on aberrant IgA1 glycosylation, mucosal immune abnormalities, and inflammatory injury. These correspond to the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) explanation of wind pathogen invading the kidney, inducing deficiency, stasis, and toxicity. Integrated TCM-WM management follows a staged approach to syndrome differentiation, and interventions aim to regulate the immune response, modulate the gut-kidney axis, and reduce inflammation and fibrosis. High-quality clinical evidence supports the efficacy and safety of several representative Chinese medicines. Based on long-term research, we have established a combined TCM five-syndrome typing and Western medicine five-stage pathologic blockade framework and propose an integrated five-sphere disease-syndrome-symptom-stage-biological characterization model. Supported by multiomics and artificial intelligence, this model bridges TCM syndromes and molecular pathologic mechanisms and facilitates precision therapy. Integrated TCM-WM effectively improves clinical remission and delays disease progression in IgAN. Future studies should focus on further biological integration of TCM syndrome dynamics and core molecular mechanisms to establish standardized precision protocols that promote the global application of integrated TCM-WM in IgAN management.</p>","PeriodicalId":21756,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in nephrology","volume":" ","pages":"151716"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149128578","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Kidney Effects of Potassium Additives in Health and Disease.","authors":"Mohammed Z Ferdaus, Eric Delpire, Andrew S Terker","doi":"10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151729","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151729","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Potassium homeostasis is maintained primarily by the kidney, yet potassium is increasingly recognized not only as a regulated electrolyte but also as a key determinant of renal physiology and kidney health. Experimental, epidemiologic, and clinical evidence supports a reciprocal relationship in which kidney function governs potassium balance, whereas dietary potassium intake and plasma potassium concentration influence renal sodium transport, blood pressure regulation, and susceptibility to kidney injury. Both potassium deficiency and excess are associated with adverse cardiorenal outcomes, emphasizing the importance of maintaining potassium within an optimal physiologic range. Evidence suggests that the kidney adapts to changes in potassium availability through coordinated feedforward and feedback mechanisms, including a putative gut-kidney signaling axis and nephron-intrinsic potassium-sensing pathways. Along the nephron, inwardly rectifying potassium channels function as extracellular potassium sensors that couple changes in potassium concentration to alterations in epithelial transport and metabolism. Recent studies have identified potassium-responsive signaling pathways in the proximal tubule that regulate sodium transport, cellular growth, and kidney injury during potassium deficiency. In the distal convoluted tubule, related mechanisms regulate the thiazide-sensitive sodium-chloride cotransporter through the renal \"potassium switch,\" linking potassium balance to sodium handling and blood pressure control. These mechanistic advances have renewed interest in potassium supplementation and potassium-containing additives as therapeutic interventions. Epidemiologic and emerging clinical data suggest that physiologically appropriate potassium intake, particularly from potassium-rich diets or bicarbonate/citrate-containing supplements, may provide cardiovascular and renal benefits. However, because impaired potassium excretion increases susceptibility to hyperkalemia in advanced chronic kidney disease, potassium supplementation and restriction should be individualized according to kidney function and patient risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":21756,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in nephrology","volume":" ","pages":"151729"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149115044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amélie Bernier-Jean, Sajed Mohammad Salem, Catherine Clase
{"title":"Potassium Intake and Outcomes in People With Chronic Kidney Disease: From Diet to Additives.","authors":"Amélie Bernier-Jean, Sajed Mohammad Salem, Catherine Clase","doi":"10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151727","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151727","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hyperkalemia is a consequential complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and clinical guidance has traditionally restricted potassium-rich foods despite the potential benefits of plant-rich diets. This guidance also does not address potassium added during food processing, such as potassium chloride, phosphate, citrate, and lactate. This review examines potassium intake and clinical outcomes in CKD in the context of food additives, drawing on three indirect bodies of evidence: (1) dietary potassium intake and clinical outcomes, (2) potassium source and serum potassium response, and (3) trials of potassium-based salt substitutes. Measured potassium intake is more often associated with neutral or favorable outcomes than harm across mortality, cardiovascular events, and CKD progression, providing little support for blanket restriction of potassium-rich whole foods. Total dietary potassium is a poor predictor of serum potassium, whereas soluble potassium salts are more bioavailable and can more readily raise serum potassium, with cardiovascular benefit from salt substitution in low-risk populations but hyperkalemia risk in susceptible patients. These findings argue against treating dietary potassium as a uniform exposure in CKD, and potassium source, not total intake alone, should guide counseling. Direct evidence on additive-derived potassium and clinical outcomes remains needed to guide practice, research, and food policy.</p>","PeriodicalId":21756,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in nephrology","volume":" ","pages":"151727"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149081983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Role of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Lupus Nephritis.","authors":"Ruihua Liu, Qiong Wen, Jianwen Yu, Xiao Yang, Wei Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151726","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151726","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lupus nephritis (LN) represents one of the most severe organ manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus and remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in affected patients. Its pathogenesis is highly complex, involving multifaceted immune dysregulation and posing substantial challenges for clinical management. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), LN is characterized by root deficiency and branch excess, with kidney deficiency as the base and heat-toxins combined with blood stasis driving disease progression. Furthermore, clinical manifestations of LN vary significantly across disease stages and are often complicated by conventional pharmacotherapies. Accumulating clinical evidence increasingly supports the therapeutic efficacy of TCM intervention in LN management. Pharmacologic investigations have further elucidated their multi-target, pleiotropic actions, including modulating immune responses and regulating critical molecular pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of LN. This review systematically outlines the TCM conceptualization of LN pathogenesis; catalogs commonly employed compound formulas, single herbs, and bioactive extracts used in clinical practice; and delineates their underlying pharmacologic mechanisms, thereby providing a rigorous scientific foundation for rational TCM formulation design and facilitating the development of integrated, evidence-informed, and optimized therapeutic strategies for LN.</p>","PeriodicalId":21756,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in nephrology","volume":" ","pages":"151726"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149082013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Toward Additive-Aware Dietary Guidance in Chronic Kidney Disease: Research Gaps and Future Directions.","authors":"Kelly Lambert, Joanne Beer, Dearne Brauer, Marguerite Conley, Jessica Dawson, Deepa Kariyawasam, Andrew Morris, Christine Nash, Stephanie Notaras, Claire Trimingham, Michelle Fitzmaurice","doi":"10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151728","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151728","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dietary management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has evolved from reductionist nutrient restriction toward healthy dietary pattern advice. However, current guidance does not distinguish between nutrients intrinsic to whole foods and those delivered as isolated inorganic food additives. This distinction matters. Inorganic phosphorus and potassium additives are highly bioavailable, rapidly absorbed, and produce postprandial metabolic responses that differ substantially from their organic, food-bound counterparts. As ultra-processed foods now contribute around half of caloric intake globally, additive-derived nutrient exposure is both substantial and largely invisible. It is also inadequately captured by food composition databases, nutrition information panels, and ingredient declarations. This article proposes the concept of additive-aware dietary guidance in CKD: an approach that explicitly accounts for the chemical form and source of nutrients, their bioavailability and absorption kinetics, food matrix effects, co-exposure and additive stacking, and the contribution of unreported processing aids. We argue that this represents a necessary extension of existing dietary paradigms, not a replacement for them. This article outlines 4 practical strategies for clinical translation: (1) identifying additive exposure, (2) building ingredient literacy, (3) applying tiered risk-stratified counselling, and (4) using accessible behavioral framing. It also outlines implementation challenges, including cognitive burden, health literacy, socioeconomic equity, and the risk of nutritional inadequacy. Advancing additive-aware dietary guidance in CKD will require education of the multidisciplinary team, improved additive labelling regulation, standardized exposure assessment tools, mechanistic studies in CKD populations, and pragmatic intervention trials. Additive-aware dietary guidance represents a clinically relevant, achievable evolution in CKD nutrition care that better reflects the realities of the modern food supply.</p>","PeriodicalId":21756,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in nephrology","volume":" ","pages":"151728"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149064303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tianmai He, Wenjing Wu, Lan Wang, Kuiyu Chen, Xiaoqin Wang
{"title":"Traditional Chinese Medicine on Vascular Calcification in Chronic Kidney Disease: Therapeutic Effects and Mechanisms.","authors":"Tianmai He, Wenjing Wu, Lan Wang, Kuiyu Chen, Xiaoqin Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151722","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semnephrol.2026.151722","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global public health problem affecting 15% to 20% of adults worldwide. Vascular calcification (VC) is mediated by CKD-related mineral and bone disorders. However, no established therapy can reverse VC, making the exploration of effective treatment strategies particularly urgent. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has shown potential to improve renal function, correct calcium-phosphate metabolism disorders, and delay the progression of VC through long-term clinical practice and scientific research. This article systematically reviews clinical and basic studies on TCM for CKD-associated VC. It highlights 17 randomized controlled trials and 30 basic studies involving TCM decoctions, traditional Chinese patent medicines, single Chinese herbs, Chinese herb pairs, and the bioactive ingredients of TCM, summarizing their therapeutic effects and underlying molecular mechanisms. The review aims to provide new therapeutic options for the prevention and treatment of VC in patients with CKD.</p>","PeriodicalId":21756,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in nephrology","volume":" ","pages":"151722"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148971153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}