A large study of over 20 years of health data found that following two specific eating patterns - the DASH diet and avoiding inflammatory foods - may help protect against chronic kidney disease. The DASH diet, which focuses on fruits, vegetables, and low-sodium foods, reduced kidney disease risk by about 12%. Meanwhile, eating fewer inflammatory foods (like processed meats and sugary drinks) also lowered risk. These findings suggest that simple dietary changes could be an effective way to keep your kidneys healthy as you age.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: How four different healthy eating patterns affect the risk of developing chronic kidney disease
  • Who participated: Thousands of American adults from a national health survey spanning 20 years (2000-2020)
  • Key finding: Following the DASH diet reduced kidney disease risk by 12%, while eating anti-inflammatory foods also provided protection
  • What it means for you: Eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and less processed food may help keep your kidneys healthy, especially if you’re over 65 or have high blood pressure

The Research Details

Researchers analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a large ongoing study that tracks the health and eating habits of Americans. They looked at four popular healthy eating scores: the government’s Healthy Eating Index, the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet (designed to lower blood pressure), and a measure of how inflammatory someone’s diet is. For each person, they calculated scores for all four eating patterns and then checked whether people with higher scores were less likely to have kidney disease.

This approach allowed researchers to directly compare different diet strategies using the same group of people, which helps determine which eating patterns work best for kidney health. The large sample size and 20-year timeframe provide a comprehensive view of how diet affects kidney disease risk across diverse populations.

This study used high-quality national survey data with standardized methods for measuring both diet and kidney function. However, it’s a snapshot study that can’t prove diet directly causes changes in kidney health - it can only show associations between eating patterns and kidney disease rates.

What the Results Show

The DASH diet showed the strongest protective effect, with people following it most closely having 12% lower odds of kidney disease for every 25% improvement in their diet score. The anti-inflammatory diet approach also worked well, with people eating the least inflammatory foods having about 10% lower kidney disease risk. Interestingly, the Mediterranean diet and the government’s Healthy Eating Index didn’t show significant associations with kidney disease in this study. The anti-inflammatory diet was the only one that also appeared to slow progression in people who already had kidney disease.

The protective effects were most consistent in certain groups: men, people over 65, non-Hispanic whites, people with high blood pressure, and those without diabetes or heart disease. Both diet approaches worked regardless of smoking status or income level, suggesting broad applicability across different lifestyles.

These findings align with previous smaller studies showing benefits of the DASH diet for kidney health, but provide new evidence that anti-inflammatory eating patterns may be equally important. The lack of association with Mediterranean diet differs from some previous research, possibly due to different populations or measurement methods.

This study can’t prove that diet changes will prevent kidney disease since it only looked at one point in time. The dietary information came from people reporting what they ate, which isn’t always perfectly accurate. Also, the study couldn’t account for all other factors that might affect kidney health, and the results may not apply equally to all ethnic groups.

The Bottom Line

Consider adopting DASH diet principles by eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins while reducing sodium and processed foods. Also focus on anti-inflammatory foods like fatty fish, leafy greens, and berries while limiting processed meats, sugary drinks, and refined grains. These approaches appear most beneficial for people over 65 and those with high blood pressure.

Anyone interested in kidney health should pay attention, especially people over 65, those with high blood pressure, or family history of kidney disease. People with existing kidney disease should consult their healthcare provider before making major dietary changes.

While this study doesn’t specify how quickly benefits might appear, kidney health changes typically occur gradually over months to years. Consistency with dietary changes is likely more important than perfection.

Want to Apply This Research?

Use the Gram app to:

  • Track daily servings of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while monitoring sodium intake and inflammatory foods like processed meats and sugary drinks
  • Set weekly goals to increase DASH-friendly foods (aim for 4-5 servings of fruits/vegetables daily) and reduce one inflammatory food category each week
  • Use a simple weekly scorecard rating adherence to DASH principles and anti-inflammatory choices, with monthly reviews to identify patterns and areas for improvement

This information is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. People with kidney disease or other health conditions should consult their healthcare provider before making significant dietary changes.