Table 3.
Effects of oral alkali supplementation or reduction of dietary acid intake on change in biochemical measurements
| Outcomes | No. of Studies/Comparisons | No. of Patients | Effect Estimate MD [95% CI] | P Value | I2 (95% CI), % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serum bicarbonate, mEq/L | 14/15 | 1378 | 3.3 [2.4 to 4.3] | <0.001 | 93 (91 to 95) |
| Serum potassium, mEq/L | 4/5 | 522 | −0.15 [−0.38 to 0.07] | 0.17 | 88 (73 to 93) |
| Serum calcium, mg/dl | 8 | 764 | 0.04 [−0.26 to 0.35] | 0.79 | 82 (64 to 89) |
| Serum phosphate, mg/dl | 9 | 818 | −0.30 [−0.62 to 0.02] | 0.06 | 59 (0 to 78) |
| Serum albumin, g/L | 7 | 741 | 0.43 [−0.54 to 1.41] | 0.39 | 68 (0 to 84) |
| Serum PTH, pg/ml | 2 | 58 | −22 [−126 to 81] | 0.67 | 42 (N/A) |
| Midarm muscle circumference, cm | 5 | 647 | 0.2 [−0.2 to 0.6] | 0.29 | 0 (0 to 64) |
MD, mean difference; 95% CI, 95% confidence interval; PTH, parathyroid hormone; N/A, not available or not applicable. For the effect estimates, “−” indicates reduction in reduction in the reported outcome measures.