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Nephrology is all about balance. As experts on the kidney, our first focus is naturally on excretion but intake is just as, or more important. Nutrition and nephrology are natural partners that go together like copy and paste. The panelists were impressed with the field, describing as a powerhouse region, one of these teams, could make a convincing run at the championship.

Low Na Intake and Total Mortality versus High Na Intake and Blood Pressure
Winner: High Na Intake and Blood Pressure

4-3 split

The blue ribbon panel was divided on this classic match-up, “Low Na Intake has some Super Frosh ready to lead the way. Hopefully they won’t be one-and-done.” It was a split decision 4-3 in favor of the long established truth that high sodium diets cause high blood pressure. The data on low sodium diets being associated with higher mortality was conveniently swept under the rug in favor of the longstanding dogma of sodium and blood pressure. The panel put is best:

Oh sodium. Bring back the days when salt was currency and people weren’t exposed to high sodium diets from age 1… Once we maladapt to high sodium, it’s like calling a timeout with 2 seconds left when you’re out of timeouts – it’s bound to haunt you for the rest of your life.

AKI Needs Normal Nutrition versus AKI Needs More Nutrition
Winner: AKI needs more nutrition

4-3 split

Another split decision 4-3 with Team AKI Needs More Nutrition driving the ball inside for convincing slam at the buzzer to take the match. In the end the veteran front line of Jevity 1.5, Pivot 1.5 and Abbott Promote were just too much for the undersized normal nutrition team. This was a case of bigger is better.

Obesity: ESRD Risk Factor versus Obesity: ESRD Survival Factor
Winner: Obesity: ESRD Risk Factor

5-2 split

This was a game that you had to see to believe. Both teams pushed the ball down the court far fleeter than anyone expected given the mass of the players. There were no comments from the panelists to help us figure out what they were thinking, but despite repeatedly showing a rock solid association of obesity with survival, the judges went the other way in a 5-2 decision. The weight of evidence in the rest of medicine shows that no good things come from morbid obesity. Obesity as an ESRD risk factor won comfortably.

Albumin: Nutritional Marker versus Albumin: Inflammatory Marker
Winner: Albumin: Inflammatory Marker

4-3 split

These two teams hate each other. Is there a deeper rivalry in the history of NephMadness? Not since the epic UptoDate versus Wikipedia battles of 2013 have we seen such heated rhetoric. No one could get the upper hand in this epic defensive struggle. Both teams bring with them impressive clinical research but in the closing minutes the inflammatories got a number of key turnovers, made their free throws and held on to win a close one.

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