People That Eat Fruits, Vegetables Less Likely to Have CKD

A study conducted by the University of Virginia School of Medicine has found that adults with Chronic Kidney Disease (CDK) are less likely to eat fruits and vegetables than similar people who do not have the disease.

University of Virginia Health Kidney Specialist Julia J Scialla, MD, MHS, said about the study,  

“We worry about overall health effects when we see patients with CKD consuming low levels of fruits and vegetables.  We have to be careful not to unnecessarily discourage healthy fruit and vegetable intake when we provide nutritional advice to patients with CKD such as advice to reduce potassium intake”.  

Researchers collected data on eating patterns of fruits and vegetables from the National Health and Examination Survey conducted between 1988-2018. Three survey cycles were used in collecting data. The study made adjustments for demographics, waist circumference, and the presence of diabetes and high blood pressure among survey participants. In the first survey cycle (1988-1994), 51.83% of patients with CKD were classified as having a pattern of low intake of fruits and vegetables. Among people without kidney disease, 47.66% were classified as having a pattern of low intake of fruits and vegetables.  The second survey cycle (2003-2010), found 46.26% of patients with CKD classified as having low intake; compared with 40.88% of people without kidney disease who were classified as low intake. In the third and final survey cycle (2011-2018) 47.87% of patients with CKD were found to have a low pattern of intake of fruits and vegetables. Comparatively, 45.76% of people without kidney disease were classified as low intake.  

Approximately 37 million American adults have chronic kidney disease according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic kidney disease occurs when a person's kidneys are damaged and are no longer able to effectively filter waste from the blood. Buildup of waste in the person's blood may potentially lead to other serious and life threatening conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.  Further studies must be done in order to know if the low consumption of fruits and vegetables is a cause or result of chronic kidney disease. Or, if other factors play a role. The research team at UVA recommends more research studies in order to understand the link between fruit and vegetable consumption and chronic kidney disease.  They have also recommended additional studies on how to get all Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables.  “We hope that through this study and similar studies we would be able to encourage both healthy individuals and patients with chronic kidney disease to reconsider their intake of fruits and vegetables by incorperating greater varieties and amounts of unprocessed or minimally processed fruits and vegetables into their everyday diets”, said Shirin Pourafshar, PHD, MSCR, RDN, a nutritionist and dietitian who co-authored the study.  

The findings have been published in the Journal of Renal Nutrition.  The research team included Shirin Pourafshar, Jennie Z. Ma, and Julia J. Scialla. The work was funded by the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.      

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Reference

‍UVAToday

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About the Author

Elizabeth Custer is a registered dietitian at Huntington Health and USC Arcadia.  She completed her Bachelor's Degree in clinical nutrition at University of California Davis, and dietetic internship at Sacramento State University.  She has worked in many settings including acute hospital, sub-acute, skilled nursing, psychiatric, outpatient, retirement, and convalescent facilities. As a registered dietitian, her primary role includes assessing patients, providing nutrition education, and implementing medical nutrition therapy for a variety of medical conditions, such as chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, and more. Her passion lies with direct patient care and her experience in clinical, food service, and managerial roles has allowed her to deliver high-quality, evidenced-based strategies to promote health, well-being, and manage nutrition-related diseases. Elizabeth presented her research paper on food insecurities among students at the California Association of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Conference in 2018.

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