Diet Quality, Food Insecurity, and Chronic Kidney Disease: Insights From the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Summary

This cross-sectional analysis of US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data found that higher diet quality (HEI-2020) was not associated with CKD prevalence in the general population, but was protective in subgroups with diabetes (24% lower odds per 10-point HEI increase) and hypertension (20% lower odds). No significant association was observed between diet quality and food insecurity in adjusted models, suggesting that addressing barriers to healthy eating remains important for CKD prevention in at-risk populations.

Regional applicability

This study is US-specific and uses American dietary guidelines (HEI-2020). Findings are not directly transferable to UK populations, which have different dietary patterns, food systems, and access barriers. However, the study's framework for examining diet quality and food insecurity as CKD risk factors may inform similar stratified analyses in UK health surveys.

Key measures

HEI-2020 diet quality score (per 10-point increase), prevalence of CKD, food insecurity status, adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals

Outcomes reported

The study examined associations between diet quality (measured by HEI-2020 score), food insecurity, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) prevalence in a nationally representative US population. CKD was defined by estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73m² or urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥30 mg/g.

Topic tags