A new study conducted by researchers in China and published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal concluded that a diet that includes more plant foods and fewer animal foods may protect the kidneys, as it is associated with a reduced risk of developing chronic kidney disease, which affects about 800 million adults worldwide.
For research purposes researchers used data from the UK Biobank database and assessed the diets of 179,508 participants without chronic kidney disease at the start of the study using 24-hour dietary recall questionnaires. They then assessed participants’ adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet and analyzed any association with chronic kidney disease.
The EAT-Lancet diet consists mainly of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and unsaturated fats, including low to moderate consumption of seafood and poultry, red meat, processed meat, added sugar, refined grains, and starchy vegetables.
According to the results, the longer participants adhered to the EAT-Lancet diet, the lower their kidney risk.
The researchers followed the participants for an average of 12.1 years, during which time 4,819 (2.7%) developed kidney disease.
Why are herbal products good for the kidneys?
Diets favoring plant foods are associated with higher levels of anti-inflammatory fatty acids and lower levels of inflammatory markers. Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress gradually damage the kidney’s blood vessels, which over time weakens the kidney’s ability to clean the blood.
In addition, diets rich in whole plant foods tend to reduce sodium intake and help regulate blood pressure compared to dietary patterns high in meat.
At the same time, the low consumption of meat in plant-based diets reduces the intake of amino acids that are “fermented” by the intestinal microflora into substances processed by the body, such as toxins that damage the kidneys.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), family history, etc. There are several factors that increase the risk of developing kidney diseases.
A higher fiber intake works in several ways to reduce some of these risk factors.
Limitations of the study
The study had important limitations, such as self-reporting of dietary habits and limited population diversity. Nevertheless, the findings reinforce the idea that there are many dietary patterns based on, for example, plant products Mediterranean diet to support kidney health, points to scientists who were not involved in the study in question.