The effect of vegetarian diet on chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression – systematic review

Abstract Background Vegetarian diet is more and more popular around the world as the alternative to the casual diet. It is considered not only as a healthy way of consuming but also a sustainable way of living. The Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a rising problem for the global population It is a main cause of death for 1.5% of global population and it is projected to increase in the future. One of the nutritional strategies to tackle the problem of CKD is a protein-restricted diet (< 0.8 grams of protein per day) It helps to decrease the proteinuria, uremic toxins, oxidative stress and improves renal function. Method This systematic review is meant to examine the potential benefits of changing the diet to vegetarian to delay the progression of CKD. Cochrane and Pubmed engines were used to search for the results. The investigation was carried out with the help of PRISMA 2020 Checklist and PRISMA 2020 flow diagram. Two investigators were involved into selection. Results According to recent studies vegetarian diet improves eGFR and reduces proteinuria. It also decreases the serum urea and acidosis. Compared to the omnivore group, vegetarians have 16% and vegans have 13% less chance of CKD development. For diabetic patients’ odds for CKD occurrence are 0.68 for both vegetarian and vegan diets indicating their protective aspect. Conclusions The vegetarian diet could be an alternative for low protein conventional diet not only improving the renal results but also the overall health of the patients