In a new study, researchers found that eating a healthy plant-based diet may help reduce the risk of chronic kidney disease.
The finding provides new evidence that a plant-based diet could help improve people’s health and should be part of a healthy lifestyle.
The research was conducted by a team from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Plant-based diets have become more popular due to ethical, environmental, and health reasons.
Previous research has shown that the risk of chronic health conditions varies by types of plant-based diets.
Plant-based diets high in whole grains, for example, can provide many health benefits. On the other hand, plant-based diets high in refined carbohydrates are less healthy.
In the study, the team aimed to see if there is a link between plant-based diets and kidney health.
They found that eating a diet based on nutrient-rich plants may help protect against chronic kidney disease.
The team analyzed data on 14,686 middle-aged people in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. These people were followed for about 24 years.
The researchers found that people who ate a healthy plant-based diet most frequently had a 14% lower risk of developing chronic kidney disease than people who did not eat a healthy plant-based diet.
On the contrary, people who ate a less healthy plant-based most frequently had an 11% higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease than people who did not eat a less healthy plant-based diet.
Generally, eating a healthy plant-based diet was linked to better kidney function.
The researchers suggest that a healthy plant-based diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes.
They also suggest that having a healthy eating habit may be even more beneficial before people become overweight or obese.
The leaders of the study are Hyunju Kim and Casey M. Rebholz, Ph.D.
The study is published in CJASN.
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