Potential Benefits of Renal Diets on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

Dietary manipulation, including protein, phosphorus, and sodium restriction, when coupled with the vegetarian nature of the renal diet and ketoacid supplementation can potentially exert a cardiovascular protective effect in chronic renal failure patients by acting on both traditional and nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors. Blood pressure control may be favored by the reduction of sodium intake and by the vegetarian nature of the diet, which is very important also for lowering serum cholesterol and improving plasma lipid profile. The low protein and phosphorus intake has a crucial role for reducing proteinuria and preventing and reversing hyperphosphatemia and secondary hyperparathyroidism, which are major causes of the vascular calcifications, cardiac damage, and mortality risk of uremic patients. The reduction of nitrogenous waste products and lowering of serum PTH levels may also help ameliorate insulin sensitivity and metabolic control in diabetic patients, as well as increase the responsiveness to erythropoietin therapy, thus allowing greater control of anemia. Protein-restricted diets may have also anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Thus, putting aside the still debatable effects on the progression of renal disease and the more admitted effects on uremic signs and symptoms, it is possible that a proper nutritional treatment early in the course of renal disease may be useful also to reduce the cardiovascular risk in the renal patient. However, conclusive data cannot yet be drawn because quality studies are lacking in this field; future studies should be planned to assess the effect of renal diets on hard outcomes, as cardiovascular events or mortality