Vegetarian Diet Linked to Lower Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: Study

A new study published in the journal of Nature Scientific Reports showed that vegetarian diets were linked to a decreased risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is consistent with other studies on plant-based dietary patterns.

Growing evidence that increased intake of animal-based foods is associated with worse cardiometabolic and mortality outcomes has drawn significant attention to plant-based diets. Plant-based eating habits may provide advantages for the environment in addition to possible health benefits. However, the prevalence of CKD is still increasing worldwide, and there is still little information about how regular eating habits affect the development of CKD. According to recent research, following a plant-based diet may be linked to a slower rate of progression of CKD, a lower risk of cardiometabolic disease, and a lower death rate in those with impaired kidney function.

Diets that prioritize high-quality plant foods and minimize animal products have also been linked to a decreased incidence of CKD. However, the majority of earlier studies have relied on dietary quality indexes specified by the study, which could not accurately represent eating habits in the real world. In order to test the hypothesis that a higher focus on plant-based foods would be linked to a reduced incidence of CKD, this study used UK Biobank data to investigate the relationship between habitual diet categories and incident CKD.

The UK Biobank is a sizable prospective cohort study with individuals between the ages of 40 and 69. Participants were divided into five dietary categories based on their habitual diet, which was evaluated using a baseline food frequency questionnaire: high meat eaters, low meat eaters, poultry eaters, pescatarians, and vegetarians. Researchers used multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyzes to evaluate the risk of CKD among these categories.

Out of 416,584, 23,084 developed CKD throughout the 12.9-year follow-up. Vegetarians showed the greatest correlation with a statistically significant decreased risk of CKD [HR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.71–0.93] when compared to heavy meat eaters.

Overall, vegetarian diets are linked to a decreased incidence of CKD, according to this study. This result is in line with earlier studies that emphasized the advantages of plant-based eating habits as measured by several dietary indicators. Notably, the importance of plant-based diets in the management of CKD has started to be recognized and supported by recent clinical guidelines.

Source:

Candussi, C. J., Bell, W., Mutapcic, M., Thompson, A. S., Rohrmann, S., Cassidy, A., Kühn, T., & Gaggl, M. (2026). Vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of chronic kidney disease in a population-based study. Scientific Reports, 16(1), 23849. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-62827-2