Association between consumption of different food groups and risk of chronic kidney disease: a dose–response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies

Abstract Inlight of varying outcomes from prior research concerning the relationship between different food groups and the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD), this study was conducted to examine the relationship between the consumption of various food groups and CKD risk via a dose–dependent meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Searches were conducted in the Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar databases through January 2025. Out of 6460 publications, twenty-one studies were selected for final analysis. The results revealed that red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of CKD (RR: 1·39; 95 % CI: 1·13, 1·71). Conversely, consumption of fish (RR: 0·88; 95 % CI: 0·80, 0·97), grains (RR: 0·87; 95 % CI: 0·77, 0·99) and legumes (RR: 0·83; 95 % CI: 0·72, 0·92) showed a protective effect against CKD. The linear dose–response analysis indicated that for every 100 g/d increment in red meat and total meat consumption, the risk of CKD escalated by 34 and 2 %, respectively. Furthermore, an increase of 15 g/d in dietary fish, 28 g/d in nuts and 50 g/d in legumes was associated with a 6, 21 and 13 % decreased risk of CKD, respectively. Overall, higher red meat intake correlates with a heightened CKD risk, whereas the consumption of fish, grains and legumes is associated with a lowered risk. Further longitudinal cohort studies with extended follow-up are recommended to validate our findings.