The Study
Dietary protein sources and risk for incident chronic kidney disease: Results from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study
This study watched what people ate for over 20 years and noticed that those who ate more red meat tended to get kidney problems later, while those who ate more nuts and beans tended to stay healthier. But it didn’t make people change their diets — so we can’t say for sure that the food caused the difference.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Not all proteins are the same for your kidneys — some foods like meat might hurt them, while others like beans and nuts might help.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 559 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — swapping just a few meat meals a week for beans, nuts, or dairy could lower your long-term risk of kidney disease.
- 2People who ate the most red and processed meat had a 23% higher chance of kidney disease.
- 3Those who ate more nuts, beans, or low-fat dairy had 17–25% lower risk.
- 4Total protein amount didn’t matter.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of renal nutrition : the official journal of the Council on Renal Nutrition of the National Kidney Foundation
Year
2017
Authors
B. Haring, E. Selvin, Menglu Liang, J. Coresh, Morgan E. Grams, Natalia Petruski-Ivleva, L. Steffen, C. Rebholz
Related Content
Claims (6)
People who consume more dietary protein, especially from plants and seafood, have a lower rate of chronic kidney disease compared to those who consume less.
People who eat more nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy products have a 17–25% lower risk of developing chronic kidney disease over 23 years compared to those who eat less, even when total protein intake is accounted for.
People who replace red and processed meat with nuts, legumes, or low-fat dairy have a lower risk of developing chronic kidney disease.
People who eat more red and processed meat over 23 years have a 23% higher chance of developing chronic kidney disease than those who eat the least, even when total protein intake is accounted for.
Over 23 years, middle-aged adults with healthy kidneys who consume different amounts of protein from animal or plant sources show no consistent difference in their risk of developing chronic kidney disease. The source of the protein matters more than the total quantity consumed.
People who eat more protein from vegetables have a 24% lower chance of developing chronic kidney disease over 23 years compared to those who eat less, even when total protein intake is accounted for.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.