Ultraprocessed Foods Linked to Higher Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: Study

A new study published in the Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology showed that consuming highly processed foods derived from animals and plants was linked to a higher likelihood of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) in elderly individuals.

Highly processed foods, particularly ultra-processed ones, have been linked to negative impacts on health. Plant-based foods can also undergo extensive processing. The connection between ultra-processed foods from plant and animal sources and the risk of chronic kidney disease remains uncertain. Therefore, this study was conducted in order to associate the risk of highly processed food with CKD.

The information was obtained from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a group of 2,661 elderly individuals aged 65 years and older. The focus was on ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption, categorized as either plant-based or animal-based in daily servings, according to the Nova system, derived from surveys about dietary habits conducted in 1989-1990 and 1995-1996. The study looked at the development of CKD defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) below 60 mL/min/1.73 m² and the absolute change in eGFR over a period of up to 18 years. This study explored the links between overall UPF intake, plant-based UPF intake, and animal-based UPF intake, as well as intake of minimally processed foods (MPF), with the occurrence of CKD and changes in eGFR.

After a median follow-up of 6.8 years and accounting for demographics and health habits, individuals in the highest thirds of total and animal-derived UPF intake had a 26% and 37% increased likelihood of developing CKD when compared to those in the lowest third. Each standard deviation increase in plant-based UPF consumption was linked to a higher risk of CKD but not in the categorical assessments (p-trend=0.12). A greater intake of total minimally processed foods (MPF) was associated with a 20% reduced risk of developing CKD.

Substituting three servings of total MPF with total UPF and plant-based MPF with plant-based UPF was weakly linked to increased risks of CKD. There were no observed connections with changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). When considering competing risks for mortality, the estimates were reduced. Overall, the overall consumption of highly processed foods, particularly those derived from animals, showed a link to the development of chronic kidney disease, while plant-based processed foods had a slight connection. 

Source:

Hill, C. M., Feinberg, A., Rebholz, C. M., Lemaitre, R., Fretts, A. M., Wiggins, K. L., Sotoodehnia, N., Floyd, J. S., Lidgard, B., Bansal, N., Psaty, B. M., & Kim, H. (2026). Associations of plant- and animal-sourced ultra-processed foods and incident CKD in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. https://doi.org/10.2215/CJN.0000001207