Plant protein intake and all-cause mortality in chronic kidney disease — NHANES III
In plain English
Using national NHANES data on 14,866 American adults — including 1,065 with reduced kidney function — researchers tested whether the source of dietary protein matters. Among people with chronic kidney disease (eGFR below 60), each 33% increase in the share of protein coming from plants was associated with 23% lower all-cause mortality. No such benefit appeared in those with healthy kidneys, suggesting plant protein matters most once the kidneys are already stressed.
Why it matters
In CKD, each 33% rise in plant-protein share was linked to 23% lower mortality.
Informs: Kidney Disease
Provenance
- Design
- Prospective cohort
- Sample size (n)
- 14,866
- Follow-up
- 14 years
- Peer-reviewed
- Yes
- Replications
- 1
- Funding
- Public / academic
- Funders
- US National Institutes of Health, US Department of Veterans Affairs
- Institutions
- University of Utah, Salt Lake City VA Health Care System
decades.plus score
A transparent 0–100 weighted sum across six components. Higher scores reflect bigger, cleaner, more replicated work.
Caveats
Observational; protein source correlates with overall diet quality and lifestyle. It rests on a single baseline dietary recall, and the CKD subgroup (n=1,065) is modest, which widens the confidence interval.
