A prospective study on total protein, plant protein and animal protein in relation to the risk of incident chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND: The link between dietary protein intake and the risk of kidney dysfunction is always a challenging issue. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between total protein, plant protein, and animal protein intake with the risk of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: This study was performed on 1639 adults aged ≥27 years who participated in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Dietary data were evaluated using a valid and reliable semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Total protein content, plant protein, and animal protein of each participant were calculated. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) less than 60 mL / min / 1.73 m(2) has been considered as the definition of CKD. Odds Ratio (OR) was calculated using logistic regression to show the association between the risk of incident CKD and dietary exposures. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, total energy intake, total fiber intake, dietary fat, physical activity, diabetes, and hypertension, there was no significant association of total protein and animal protein consumptions with the incidence of CKD. After adjustment for confounders, compared with the lowest tertile of plant protein consumption, OR of incident CKD in the highest tertile was 0.29 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.15 to 0.55) with a significant trend (P for trend < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study confirmed an inverse association between plant protein intake and the risk of incident CKD, which demonstrates the protective role of plant-based protein in a diet on kidney function.