A new study indicates that following the Mediterranean Diet may help kidney transplant recipients maintain the function of the organ received, according to the ClinicalJournal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

Despite improvements in survival of transplanted kidneys in the early years after transplantation, loss of kidney function in the subsequent 10 years still occurs in more than one-third of recipients.

Dr. António Gomes-Neto of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and colleagues investigated whether adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, with a high intake of fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and olive oil along with a lower intake of dairy and meat products, could help protect the kidney health of transplant recipients.

For the study, 632 adult kidney transplant recipients with a functioning donor kidney for at least one year completed a food-related questionnaire, and adherence to the Mediterranean Diet was assessed using a 9-point score.

During an average follow-up of 5.2 years, a total of 119 recipients experienced decreased kidney function (76 of whom developed kidney failure). The Mediterranean Diet score was inversely associated with decreased kidney function and kidney failure. Each score higher than 2 points was associated with a 29% lower risk of decreased kidney function and a 32% lower risk of kidney failure.

"Growing scientific evidence has demonstrated the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet on cardiovascular and renal health. In this study, we showed that kidney transplant recipients with greater adherence to this dietary pattern are less likely to experience loss of function from their transplanted kidney", said Gomes-Neto.

Source: Mercacei