Eating the right foods may help you age healthfully, slow brain ageing, support gut health and more. Now, new research names a specific way of eating that may lower the risk of kidney disease.
Specifically, the study highlights what works to help prevent chronic kidney disease (CKD), an impairment in kidney function that “affects, on average, about one in seven people with upward of 90% of people being unaware they have the disease,” explains kidney health expert Dr Shivam Joshi.
The study looked at health information from nearly 180,000 people without chronic kidney disease and evaluated their self-reported diets—specifically, how closely they followed the plant-forward EAT-Lancet planetary health diet. This pattern focuses on whole foods such as whole grains, fibre-rich vegetables and fruits, nuts and legumes, with limited consumption of animal proteins like fish, dairy and meat.
Using patient bloodwork, researchers identified specific proteins and metabolites that reflected how well the kidneys were working. After 12 years, they followed up with participants and found that 4,819 had developed CKD. In the end, higher adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet was associated with a lower risk of CKD.
While earlier studies have highlighted the importance of diet in kidney disease prevention, this one “is novel in its size, duration of follow-up, detail of dietary measures and usage of metabolic and proteomic profiling,” says Dr Joshi.
How might this diet boost kidney health?
Your kidneys filter waste products from your blood, explains Woolley. The study centres on the idea that following a diet that supports, rather than strains, the kidneys may help protect them over time. The EAT-Lancet planetary health diet is “designed to promote human health and also support a sustainable food system,” registered dietitian nutritionist Ryan Woolley says. The food choices it emphasises “can contribute to kidney health and overall health by helping you maintain a healthy weight, supporting lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and lowering your risk for type 2 diabetes,” all of which can increase CKD risk.
The EAT-Lancet approach is similar to other health-focused ways of eating such as the DASH and Mediterranean-style diets, Woolley notes. “These eating patterns also have benefits for lowering blood pressure and preventing and slowing progression of chronic diseases like heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes,” she says.
How does what we eat affect kidney health?
Diet affects the kidneys both directly and indirectly by influencing conditions like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, which are leading causes of kidney dysfunction, says Dr Joshi. “Plant foods are some of the healthiest foods on the planet, so it’s not surprising they would also be helpful for the kidney,” he adds.
Eating foods high in fibre and low in added sugars helps curb insulin resistance, which may lead to type 2 diabetes, “which is the leading cause of kidney disease,” Woolley says. “And limiting your consumption of sodium, often high in processed foods, helps to prevent high blood pressure and avoid strain on your kidneys.”
The EAT–Lancet diet also limits animal protein because when the body digests protein it creates waste that the kidneys must remove from the blood, Woolley explains. When kidney function is reduced, that waste can build up and cause further problems. “Therefore, limiting your intake of protein [may] help reduce the work your kidneys need to do,” she says. “Additionally, animal sources of protein have high amounts of phosphorus, which is also filtered by the kidneys. Your body isn’t able to absorb as much phosphorus from plant sources, so plant-based proteins can help reduce the phosphorus your kidneys need to filter.”
The bottom line
What you eat shapes kidney health in the long term. Doing your best to follow healthy lifestyle habits such as moving regularly, quitting smoking or tobacco use and limiting alcohol supports overall health and eases pressure on the kidneys, says Woolley. “In addition, it’s important to know how well your kidneys are working so that you can take additional steps to manage your kidney health. We recommend asking your doctor about getting an eGFR test and a uACR urine test.”
“As always,” Woolley concludes, “if you are thinking about changing your eating pattern or you’re not sure if a certain one is right for you, talk to your doctor or dietitian before starting.”
Newsletter
