Mediterranean diet could help kidney transplant patients: Eating more fish and less red meat 'cuts the risk of donor organs failing by 30%'

Eating a Mediterranean diet could help preserve kidney function in thousands of patients who have already had transplants, research suggests.

Figures suggest around a third of patients who receive a donor kidney lose function within a decade of the life-changing operation.

But scientists have found following the fish and nut-heavy diet, which cuts back on red meat, could help keep the organ healthier for longer.

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Eating a Mediterranean diet could help preserve kidney function in thousands of patients who have already had transplants, research suggests

Academics at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands followed 632 kidney transplant patients for five years, on average.

A fifth of them – 119 – saw their kidney function decline during the study. Seventy-six of those volunteers developed kidney failure.

Dr António Gomes-Neto and team gave participants a score of between zero and nine for how much they adhered to a Mediterranean diet.

The diet puts an emphasis on consuming more fruit, veg, legumes, nuts, fish and whole grains. It limits the amount of saturated fat, sugar and red meat.

EXPLAINED: THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

Consuming more fruit and fish, and fewer sugary drinks and snacks, are the most important aspects of a Mediterranean diet.

Emphasis on: 

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Legumes
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Whole grains
• Fish and meat 
• Monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil

Less of:

• Saturated fats, like butter
• Red meat 
• Processed foods, like juice and white bread
• Soda
• Sugar 

In moderation:

• A glass of red wine here and there is fine

How you can follow it:

• Eat more fish
• Squeeze more fruit & veg into every meal
• Swap your sunflower oil or butter for extra virgin olive oil
• Snack on nuts
• Eat fruit for dessert 
• 
  

Participants whose diet was scored a seven had a 29 per cent lower risk of kidney function decline, compared to volunteers who ranked at a five.

They also had a 32 per cent lower risk of kidney failure, according to the results published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Dr António Gomes-Neto said: ‘Increasing scientific evidence has demonstrated health benefits of the Mediterranean diet on cardiovascular and kidney health.

‘We show kidney transplant recipients with higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet are less likely to experience function loss of their kidney transplant.’

It is not the first time scientists have found the Mediterranean diet can benefit the kidneys – Columbia University experts made the same discovery in 2013.

They suggested the lower animal protein content of the diet puts less stress on the kidneys and reduces the acid load on the body.

The diet is also higher in fiber and antioxidants, which has been shown to reduce inflammation that is thought to play a role in kidney disease.

Figures show there were 2,400 kidney transplants carried out in the UK in 2018/19. The number is closer to the 20,000 mark in the US.

Patients have to wait between two-and-half to three years before a donor kidney will become available, on average.

The main role of the kidneys – fist-sized organs that sit against muscles in the back – is to filter waste products from blood and convert them to urine.

If they lose this ability, waste products can build up. This is known as chronic kidney disease, or kidney failure – transplants are the treatment of choice.

If a donor organ then loses function or fails, patients are put back on the waiting list for another transplant.