Project 456847

High blood potassium is very frequent in people receiving hemodialysis treatment, with one blood test out of every five revealing life-threatening high potassium levels. Dietary restriction of natural sources of potassium is currently the most common approach to avoid high serum potassium. Still, dietary restrictions are numerous and overwhelming for people on hemodialysis, with little food left to enjoy. Our study aims to assess the feasibility and potential for efficacy of a novel dietary approach to prevent high serum potassium. Contrary to the standard nutritional recommendations based on limiting the intake of high-potassium fruits and vegetables, our approach focuses on avoiding processed sources of potassium, which are often more easily absorbed by the body. We first want to know whether this new dietary counselling is feasible and efficacious at reducing serum potassium levels. To do so, we designed a pilot study in adults currently receiving hemodialysis treatments who have shown to have sustained high serum potassium. The participants who agree to partake in the study will be randomly assigned to two groups. Both groups will meet with a renal dietician for about 20 minutes, but the content of the recommendation will be different. One will focus on recognizing the presence of potassium additives and processed sources of potassium, and the other will focus on reducing potassium-rich fruits and vegetables as it is currently done in clinical practice. The study will be successful if: 1) the intervention is feasible; that is, the participants appreciate the intervention and change their diet in response to the recommendations, and 2) the incidence of high blood potassium events is lower in the novel approach group than in the traditional approach group.