Posted on 04/05/2025 10:43:17 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
New research has found that a diet rich in diverse plant foods can significantly benefit people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Kelly Lambert said the research demonstrates that a simple dietary intervention can lead to substantial improvements in gut health and reduce harmful toxins in the blood and urine.
The research is the first of its kind globally to show the positive effects of a plant-dominant diet on CKD patients. The study involved participants consuming more than 30 different types of plant foods each week, including a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
The research team found that patients who followed the diet experienced significant improvements in their gut bacteria diversity and a reduction in toxin levels in blood and urine. Lambert said the most unwell patients appeared to gain the greatest benefits from the dietary changes.
"We were particularly excited to see that this relatively simple intervention could have such profound effects, especially for those with more advanced kidney disease," Lambert said.
"For years dietary advice for kidney disease patients has been restrictive, often limiting fruit and vegetable intake due to concerns about certain minerals such as potassium. This potentially did more harm than good and led to unintended consequences," Lambert said.
"Our study shows that a more inclusive, plant-based approach is not only safe but potentially more beneficial, even with advanced kidney disease."
The implications of this research extend beyond immediate health benefits for those suffering from CKD. By improving gut health and reducing toxin levels researchers say the plant-dominant diet approach could potentially slow disease progression and improve overall quality of life for those living with kidney disease.
"We're not talking about complex medical procedures or expensive treatments. It's about making straightforward changes to what people eat, focusing on variety and plant-based foods.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
From the study abstract:
“This study was a cross-over, randomized controlled trial involving 25 Australian adults diagnosed with stage 3-4 CKD. Participants were randomly allocated to follow two diets for 6 weeks each, separated by a minimum 4-week washout period: a high-diversity plant-based diet (HDPD, ≥30 unique plant foods weekly) and a low-diversity plant-based diet (LDPD, ≤15 unique plant foods weekly), alongside a usual kidney diet prescription. Data collection was completed at four timepoints (beginning and end of each intervention period). Primary outcome included a change in uremic toxins (indoxyl sulfate and p-Cresyl sulfate) concentrations.”
“Results: Plasma and urinary uremic toxin levels did not consistently decrease across the cohort; however, significant reductions were observed in responders to the HDPD, particularly those with poorer kidney function and higher baseline uremic toxin levels. Neither diet caused electrolyte imbalances. The HDPD significantly improved diet quality, reduced potential renal acid load by an average of 47% from baseline, with an estimated marginal mean reduction of 9.96 (95% CI: -16.28 to -3.64), and compared to the LDPD, decreased total symptom burden, including constipation (95% CI: -4.11 to -0.54 and -0.91 to -0.22, respectively). It also shifted the gut microbiome toward increased production of beneficial metabolites like butyrate/isobutyrate. In contrast, the LDPD reduced microbial diversity and decreased the abundance of 27 species and 33 functional genes.”
“Conclusions: This study demonstrated the safety and clinically relevant therapeutic benefits of aiming to incorporate 30 or more unique plant foods weekly in the diet of individuals with moderate CKD. It was observed that individuals with more advanced kidney disease and higher levels of uremic toxins may derive the greatest benefit from adopting a HDPD.”
My nephrologist said I can’t eat tomatoes.
I don’t tell her, but I still do.
This does not mean that vegan is better than meat. What it says, is that the vegan is better than SAD. Yes they got rid of most of the meat. But they produced a diet that was better for people with kidney issues. They did not test whether or not the meat was the problem.
For example someone who lives on arsenic and meat can start a new diet of vegetables. And they will do better. But does it prove that meat is bad.
Processed tomatoes are just fine. The cooking of tomatoes gets rid of most of the potassium.
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