Healthy adult vegetarians have better renal function than matched omnivores: a cross-sectional study in China

An appropriate diet is an important determinant of kidney health. However, the association between vegetarian diets and renal function is unclear. We aimed to study the association between vegetarian diets and renal function in healthy adults.

A total of 269 vegetarians and 269 sex- and age-matched nonvegetarian omnivores were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Basic characteristics and daily dietary intakes were assessed by face-to-face interviews. Blood samples were collected, and renal function was assessed by measuring blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (SCr), uric acid (UA) and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and blood lipid profiles were also assessed.

The average age of the vegetarians was 35.4 ± 8.6 years, 82.2% of whom were female. We evaluated the association between vegetarian diets and renal function using multivariate analysis. Compared with omnivores, vegetarians had lower BUN [β = - 0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI): (- 0.88, - 0.38)], SCr [β = - 2.04, 95% CI:(- 4.10, 0.02)], and UA levels [β = - 15.15, 95% CI: (- 27.81, - 2.50)] and higher eGFRs [β = 4.04, 95% CI: (0.30, 7.78)] after adjusting for sex, age, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, alcohol consumption, smoking status, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), systolic pressure and fasting blood glucose. Further analysis of food composition and renal function showed that dietary fiber intake was significantly negatively associated with BUN [β = - 0.02, 95% CI: (- 0.03, 0.00)], SCr [β = - 0.14, 95% CI: (- 0.25, 0.04)], and UA levels [β = - 0.72, 95% CI: (- 1.36, 0.07)] and positively associated with the eGFR [β = 0.20, 95% CI: (0.00, 0.40)].

Healthy adult vegetarians have better renal function than omnivores, and the higher dietary fiber intake associated with vegetarian diets may contribute to the protective effect on renal function.