Can A Plant-Based Diet Help Kidney Disease Sufferers Live Longer? Some Experts Think So …

Some research shows people with chronic kidney disease (ckd) who regularly consumed fruits, vegetables, whole grains, cereals, legumes, and fiber lived longer than those who did not.

A plant-based diet rich in vegetables, fruits, cereals, whole grains, legumes, fiber and low in salt, red meat, and refined sugars (aka. white sugar) may reduce the risk of premature death in people with chronic kidney disease.

Anyone dealing with chronic kidney disease has been traditionally taught to restrict certain nutrients, such as salt, protein, and phosphorus. However, the evidence over time has shown that these efforts have complications.

The findings of two studies from 2016, referenced below, show how a plant-based vegetarian diet can reduce the risk of mortality in the chronic kidney disease population by 27%.

Researchers from the University of Bari in Italy and University of Queensland, Australia stated in the Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology, “these findings represent a shift in management of single nutrient or food group, and aligns with the experience of patients who describe nutritional advice as complex and difficult to follow.”

Dietary Recommendations to Increase:

  • Fruit
  • Vegetable
  • Legumes
  • Whole Grains
  • Fish
  • Fiber Intake

And Dietary Recommendations to Decrease:

  • Salt
  • Red Meat
  • Sugar

Can not only help you live longer, but feel heathier. The studies found no increase between consumption of plant based foods and progression to kidney failure.

 

References

Healthy Diet May Help Kidney Disease Patients Live Longer. American Society of Nephrology; December 8, 2016.

Kelly JT, Palmer SC, Ning Wai S,Ruospo M, Carrero JJ, Campbell KL, and Strippoli GFM. Healthy Dietary Patterns and Risk of Mortality and ESRD in CKD: A Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. doi: 10.2215/CJN.06190616.