Meat-rich diet bad for kidney patients

Eating meat-rich diets could triple the risk of developing kidney failure among patients suffering from chronic kidney disease, say researchers, including an Indian-origin.

Among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), patients who consumed high acid diets (meat rich) were three-times more likely to develop kidney failure than patients who consumed low acid diets which are rich in fruits and vegetables, the findings showed.

The study suggests that patients may want to limit their intake of meats and increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables to help protect their kidneys.

"The high costs and suboptimal quality of life that dialysis treatments bring may be avoided by adopting a more healthy diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables," said Tanushree Banerjee from University of California, San Francisco.

The researchers analysed information on 1,486 adults with CKD who were participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III), a large national sample of community dwelling adults. Patients were followed for a median of 14.2 years.

The team found that higher levels of dietary acid load were strongly linked with progression to kidney failure among patients.

"Patients with chronic kidney disease may want to pay more attention to diet consumption of acid rich foods to reduce progression to kidney failure, in addition to employing recommended guidelines such as taking kidney-sparing medication and avoiding kidney toxins," Banerjeere, who received her PhD in bio-statistics from University of Delhi in 2008, said.

The study is forthcoming in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).