Researchers analyzed 12 studies involving over 246,000 people to understand how inflammatory foods affect kidney health. They found that people who ate more pro-inflammatory foods (like processed meats, sugary drinks, and refined grains) had a significantly higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease compared to those eating less inflammatory diets. The connection was especially strong when researchers adjusted for calories consumed. These findings suggest that choosing anti-inflammatory foods—like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish—might help protect your kidneys from disease.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Does eating foods that cause inflammation in the body increase the chances of getting chronic kidney disease?
  • Who participated: Over 246,000 adults from 12 different research studies. About 34,200 of these people had chronic kidney disease, while the rest did not.
  • Key finding: People who ate the most inflammatory foods were 35% more likely to have kidney disease than those who ate the least inflammatory foods. When adjusted for calories, this risk jumped to 66% higher.
  • What it means for you: Choosing less inflammatory foods may help protect your kidneys. However, this research shows a connection, not proof that inflammatory foods cause kidney disease. Talk to your doctor about your diet, especially if you have kidney concerns or family history of kidney disease.

The Research Details

This is a meta-analysis, which means researchers combined results from 12 separate studies to get a bigger picture. They searched medical databases through December 2024 for studies that measured how inflammatory someone’s diet was using a scoring system called the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII). This score rates foods based on whether they increase or decrease inflammation in your body.

The researchers looked at two versions of the score: the regular DII and an energy-adjusted version (E-DII) that accounts for how many calories someone ate. They then combined all the results to see if people with higher inflammatory diet scores were more likely to have chronic kidney disease.

They used statistical methods to combine the studies fairly and looked for patterns—both straight-line relationships and more complex patterns—between diet inflammation scores and kidney disease risk.

By combining multiple studies, researchers can see patterns that might not show up in single studies. This approach is stronger than looking at one study alone because it includes more people and different populations. The fact that they looked at both regular and adjusted scores helps us understand whether the effect comes from the inflammatory foods themselves or just from eating too many calories overall.

This meta-analysis is based on observational studies, meaning researchers watched what people ate and tracked their health over time, but didn’t randomly assign people to eat different diets. This type of study can show connections but cannot prove that inflammatory foods directly cause kidney disease. The large sample size (246,000+ people) and consistent findings across multiple studies strengthen the results. However, the studies included were observational, so other factors (like exercise, smoking, or genetics) could partially explain the connection.

What the Results Show

When researchers compared people who ate the most inflammatory foods to those who ate the least, they found a 35% increased risk of chronic kidney disease. This means if 100 people eating the least inflammatory foods developed kidney disease, about 135 people eating the most inflammatory foods would develop it.

When they used the energy-adjusted score (which accounts for total calories), the risk was even higher at 66%. This suggests that the type of food matters, not just how much someone eats. For every 1-unit increase in the energy-adjusted inflammatory score, people’s kidney disease risk went up by 28%. For the regular score, each 1-unit increase meant a 5% higher risk.

Interestingly, the relationship wasn’t always a straight line. For the regular DII score, risk kept increasing as the score got higher across the entire range. But for the energy-adjusted version, the risk increased sharply at first, then leveled off after a certain point, suggesting there may be a threshold effect.

The dose-response analysis revealed that the relationship between diet inflammation and kidney disease wasn’t simple. The regular DII showed a progressive increase in risk across all levels, meaning even small increases in inflammatory foods corresponded to higher kidney disease risk. The energy-adjusted version showed a different pattern—a sharp increase at lower scores that then plateaued, suggesting that once someone reaches a certain level of inflammatory eating, additional increases may not dramatically raise risk further.

This updated analysis builds on previous research by including more recent studies and a larger total sample. Earlier research suggested connections between inflammatory diets and various diseases, but this is one of the more comprehensive looks at kidney disease specifically. The findings align with what we know about inflammation’s role in kidney damage and support the idea that dietary choices can influence kidney health.

These studies only show that inflammatory diets and kidney disease are connected—they don’t prove that the diet causes the disease. People who eat inflammatory foods might also smoke, exercise less, or have other health factors that increase kidney disease risk. The studies were observational, meaning researchers couldn’t control all the variables like they could in a controlled experiment. Additionally, people reported their own eating habits, which might not be completely accurate. The studies came from different countries and populations, which could affect how the results apply to everyone.

The Bottom Line

Based on this research, eating less inflammatory foods appears to be associated with better kidney health (moderate confidence level). Consider eating more anti-inflammatory foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fatty fish, nuts, and legumes, while reducing processed meats, sugary drinks, refined grains, and fried foods. These dietary changes may help protect your kidneys, though they also benefit overall health in many ways.

This research is especially relevant for people with a family history of kidney disease, those with high blood pressure or diabetes (which increase kidney disease risk), and anyone concerned about kidney health. It’s also important for people already diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. However, if you have kidney disease, talk to your doctor or a kidney specialist before making major diet changes, as some foods that are generally healthy might not be right for your specific kidney condition.

Dietary changes typically take weeks to months to show measurable effects on kidney function. You might notice improvements in energy, digestion, or how you feel within a few weeks, but changes in kidney markers usually take 3-6 months to appear. This is a long-term lifestyle change, not a quick fix.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track your daily inflammatory food score by logging meals and noting whether they’re high-inflammatory (processed meats, sugary drinks, refined grains, fried foods) or low-inflammatory (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts). Rate each meal on a scale of 1-10 for inflammation level and track weekly averages.
  • Set a goal to replace one high-inflammatory food with a low-inflammatory alternative each week. For example: swap soda for water, white bread for whole wheat, or processed snacks for nuts and fruit. Use the app to plan these swaps and track which replacements stick.
  • Create a weekly dashboard showing your inflammatory food intake trend. Set reminders to log meals consistently, and review monthly patterns to identify your biggest inflammatory food triggers. If you have kidney disease, share this data with your healthcare provider to discuss whether your dietary changes are helping.

This research shows an association between inflammatory diets and kidney disease risk, but does not prove that inflammatory foods cause kidney disease. If you have chronic kidney disease, kidney problems, or a family history of kidney disease, consult your doctor or a registered dietitian before making significant dietary changes. Some foods that are generally anti-inflammatory may not be appropriate for people with certain types of kidney disease. This information is for educational purposes and should not replace professional medical advice.