The National Kidney Foundation found that plant-based diets can lower the risk of chronic kidney disease, which can progress to kidney failure and early cardiovascular disease.

Plant-based protein foods can slash the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a new UK study.

The disease is potentially fatal because although it prevents the organs from functioning effectively, symptoms are presented only after the disease has progressed to an advanced stage.

The National Kidney Foundation led the research, which found that plant-based diets can lower the risk of the silent condition that can lead to kidney failure and early cardiovascular disease.

The study’s findings

Biobank followed 117,809 participants for 9.9 years. It found that those who consumed protein from non-animal sources had a lower risk of developing CKD.

The study recorded dietary habits focusing on protein intake and participants’ kidney health.

During a median follow-up of 9.9 years, 3,745 -3.2% – of participants developed incident CKD. On examination, patients with higher dietary plant protein intakes had a lower risk for CKD.

“Higher plant protein intake was associated with a lower risk of incident CKD after adjusting for confounding variables,” the study team said in a statement.

“An additional analysis using a stricter definition of CKD and various sensitivity analyses yielded similar findings.”

Other studies

A separate study involving 3618  patients with high uric acid levels at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, indicated that a vegan diet is associated with a 31% lower risk of CKD in patients with hyperuricemia.

For this study, researchers retrospectively enrolled clinically stable hyperuricemic patients. The cross-sectional study included 225 vegans, 509 lacto-ovo vegetarians, and 2884 omnivores. 

After adjusting for age, sex, and additional variables,  they found that vegans had a significantly lower odds ratio (OR) of CKD than omnivores

The study authors concluded: “ A vegan diet may be beneficial in reducing the occurrence of CKD in patients with hyperuricemia.”

The protein myth

A common myth surrounding vegan diets is the lack of protein in comparison to animal sources.

According to the European Food Information Council, proteins are made up of essential amino acids (EAAS), which are the building blocks of the body’s cells. Foods that contain all EAAS required by humans are considered to be of high biological value (HBV).

 Meanwhile, low biological value (LBV) foods contain some, but not all EAAS and these are primarily made up of plant-based sources such as tofu, lentils, chickpeas, nuts, seeds, peas, and broccoli. While one type of LBV food cannot provide enough protein, consuming certain LBV foods together can complement each other to provide enough EAAS.

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