Vegan Diet Is Associated with a Lower Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease in Patients with Hyperuricemia

Abstract

Hyperuricemia is a well-known risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Little is known about whether a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of CKD in patients with hyperuricemia. From 5 September 2005, to 31 December 2016, we retrospectively included clinically stable patients with hyperuricemia who received health check-ups at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital. All participants completed a dietary habits questionnaire to determine whether they were omnivorous, lacto-ovo vegetarian, or vegan. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate 2 or the presence of proteinuria. A total of 3618 patients with hyperuricemia were recruited for this cross-sectional study, consisting of 225 vegans, 509 lacto-ovo vegetarians, and 2884 omnivores. After adjusting for age and sex, vegans had a significantly lower odds ratio (OR) of CKD than omnivores (OR, 0.62; p = 0.006). The OR of CKD remained significantly lower in vegans after adjusting for additional confounders (OR, 0.69; p = 0.04). Additionally, age (per year OR, 1.06; p p p p = 0.02), smoking (OR, 2.05; p p p < 0.05). A vegan diet is associated with a 31% lower risk of CKD in patients with hyperuricemia. A vegan diet may be beneficial in reducing the occurrence of CKD in patients with hyperuricemia.

Keywords

• acid load
• chronic kidney disease
• hyperuricemia
• plant-based diet
• vegan diet
• vegetarian diet