Eating ultra-processed food bad for kidneys

Consuming ultra-processed food in high amounts can increase the risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a general population, a study suggests.

The study used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study and included 14,679 middle-aged adults without CKD at baseline. Researchers estimated UPF consumption (servings/day) using dietary data collected via a food frequency questionnaire at visit 1 and visit 3.

Over a median follow-up of 24 years, a total of 4,859 cases of incident CKD were documented. Incident CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m² accompanied by ≥25-percent eGFR decline, CKD-related hospitalization or death, or end-stage renal disease.

The corresponding CKD incidence rates were 16.5 per 1,000 person-years (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 15.6–17.4) for the highest quartile of UPF consumption and 14.7 per 1,000 person-years (95 percent CI, 13.9–15.5) for the lowest quartile of consumption.

In multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, the risk of developing CKD was 24-percent higher among participants in the highest vs lowest quartile of UPF consumption (hazard ratio [HR], 1.24, 95 percent CI, 1.15–1.35). The association showed a linear trend.

Substituting one serving of ultra-processed foods with minimally processed foods yielded a 6-percent reduction in the risk of CKD (HR, 0.94, 95 percent CI, 0.93–0.96; p<0.001).

The study was limited by self-reported data and residual confounding.