Effects of vegetarian versus Mediterranean diet on kidney function: Findings from the CARDIVEG study

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet (VD), compared to a Mediterranean diet (MD), on kidney function in a group of subjects with medium-to-low cardiovascular risk profile.METHODS: We analysed 107 subjects (82 women, 25 men; median age 52) who followed a VD (n=54) and a MD (n=53) for 3months in the CARDIVEG study, a randomized, open, crossover trial that compared the effects of these 2 diets on cardiovascular disease risk.RESULTS: The effect of the two diets on kidney function markers was evaluated by conducting a general linear model for repeated measurements adjusted for possible confounding factors such as age, sex, physical activity, alcohol, smoking, hypertension, LDL cholesterol, glucose and body weight change. A significant reduction in creatinine (-5.3%; P<.001), urea nitrogen levels (-9%; P=.001), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (-8.7%; P=.001) and BUN/creatinine ratio (-5.8%; P<.001), and an increase in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (+3.5%; P=.001) was observed during the VD period. On the contrary, no significant changes were noted in the MD group. Variations obtained in the two dietary interventions were significantly different (P<.0001) for creatinine levels, BUN/creatinine and eGFR, for which opposite trends were observed in the VD and MD groups.CONCLUSIONS: In a selected group of subjects with medium-to-low cardiovascular risk profile, a 3month VD period determined significant improvements in kidney function markers. Further trials are needed to confirm these results.