Eating more protein from vegetables might help people with chronic kidney disease live longer, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Utah looked at more than 1,100 chronic kidney disease patients who participated in a major government health survey. After adjusting for factors such as age, smoking and weight/overweight, researchers found that for each 10-gram rise in vegetable protein intake per day, the patients had a 14 percent lower risk of dying.
Increasing daily vegetable protein intake was associated with a reduced risk of death in patients with chronic kidney disease, according to the researchers. Lead researcher Xiaorui Chen explained that vegetable protein (as compared to animal protein) is associated with reduced levels of certain toxins that can build up in the urine. This is important for patients with chronic kidney disease as they may have trouble removing these toxins from their body.
Still, more research is needed to confirm these findings and further explore the relationship between vegetable protein intake and risk of death for chronic kidney disease patients, according to the researchers.
The study is scheduled for presentation Thursday at the American Society of Nephrology’s annual meeting in Atlanta.
