Ultra-Processed Food and Chronic Kidney Disease Risk: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Recommendations
Leonberg KE, Maski MR, Scott TM, Naumova EN
Nutrients · 3 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Meta-analysis (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Clinical events such as disease or death
- Intake measured by
- Not stated
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- Government
- National Science Foundation
- University or hospital
- University of Pennsylvania
- University or hospital
- Division of Graduate Education
- Government
- National Science Foundation Innovations in Graduate Education Program
- Government
- U.S. National Science Foundation
- Grants
- National Science Foundation (1855886)
Based on 5 listed funder(s) and full-text disclosure statement.
Publication
- Published
- 2025-04-30 · Nutrients · vol. 17 · issue 9 · p. 1560
- Publisher
- Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
- Cited
- 11 citations · more than 93% of similar papers · 3.1× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 62 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Nutritional Studies and Diet · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Keywords
- Medicine, CINAHL, Meta-analysis, Systematic review, Observational study, Kidney disease, Environmental health, Hazard ratio, MEDLINE, Confidence interval, Internal medicine, Intensive care medicine, Psychological intervention
- MeSH
- humans, diet, risk factors, nutritive value, food handling, adult, female, male, renal insufficiency, chronic, fast foods, food, processed
4 authors
From US
- Kristin E. Leonberg · correspondingTufts University
- Manish R. MaskiBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Tammy Maria ScottTufts University
- Elena N. NaumovaTufts University
Abstract
Background: Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are formulations of ingredients that are mostly of exclusive industrial use and may contain additives like artificial colors, flavors, or stabilizers. The sale and consumption of these foods have been increasing despite their associations with increased risk for several non-communicable diseases, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). Compared to less processed and perishable foods, UPFs have longer shelf stability, are widely accessible, and are convenient. They also tend to be more affordable and lower in nutritional quality. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO ID: CRD42023488201) was to investigate whether consumption of UPF is associated with a higher risk of CKD in adults. Methods: We completed a systematic search using Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Central databases to identify observational studies published since the wide acceptance of UPF classification and conducted a random-effects model to pool the risk estimates. Results: A total of seven studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review, of which four were eligible for meta-analysis. Across these studies, there were 19,645 incident CKD cases from individuals free of baseline CKD. Using a random-effects model, higher UPF intake was significantly associated with increased CKD risk (pooled log-hazard ratio = 0.17; 95% CI: 0.07-0.28; p Conclusions: Given the substantial evidence from this systematic review and meta-analysis indicating an association between UPF and CKD, it is recommended for public health policies to address this risk. Promoting dietary guidelines that encourage the consumption of minimally processed foods could potentially mitigate the prevalence of CKD and improve overall public health outcomes.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
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