Vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of chronic kidney disease in a population-based study

The global prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is rising and initial studies suggest that diets predominantly based on greater inclusion of plant foods may be associated with lower CKD risk. As population-based studies are lacking, we investigated the association between habitual plant-based diets and CKD in the UK Biobank cohort. The UK Biobank is a large prospective cohort study of participants aged 40-69 years. Habitual diet was assessed using a baseline food frequency questionnaire, and participants were classified into five dietary groups: high meat eaters, low meat eaters, poultry eaters, pescatarians, and vegetarians. To assess the risk of CKD across these groups, we conducted multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. During follow up of 12.9 years 23,084 out of 416,584 developed CKD. Compared to high meat eaters, the strongest association was observed among vegetarians which had a statistically significant lower risk of CKD [HR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.71- 0.93]. Our population-based study on plant-based diet types and CKD risk suggests that vegetarian diets are associated with a lower risk of CKD. Future research is needed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of plant-based diets for the prevention of CKD and other chronic diseases.