At the American Society of Nephrology, a team of researchers found that establishing a healthy dietary pattern may reduce the risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD). The findings were published in CJASN.
As part of an analysis of 18 published studies, researchers examined the healthy dietary patterns of 630,108 participants, aged 27 to 71, for an average of 10 years. The study included participants of both genders, aside from one study of only women.
For researchers, a healthy diet consisted of increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and fish, and lower rates of sugar-sweetened beverages, sodium, and processed meats.
The results indicated that a healthy dietary pattern was linked to lower incidences of CKD and albuminuria.
“With moderate certainty of evidence, the primary analysis demonstrated that adherence to a dietary pattern rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, and fish, and lower intake of red and processed meats, sodium, and sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with lower odds of incident CKD, and albuminuria over an average of 10.4 years of follow-up,” stated Jaimon Kelly, co-author of the study.
“Overall, the characteristics of the healthy dietary patterns reported across the included studies encouraged higher intakes of vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, whole grains, fish, and low-fat dairy, and lower intakes of red and processed meats, sodium, and sugar-sweetened beverages.”
“These results add to the accumulating evidence base supporting the benefits of adherence to healthy dietary patterns for chronic conditions, including those which are considered to be risk factors for the development of kidney disease such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular, and increased weight.”