All your organs play an important role in keeping you healthy and well, and one which is a major contributor to your health and life is your kidneys. Your kidneys play many important functions in your body from removing waste products out of your blood, forming urine, and regulating your fluids and blood pressure. Conditions which put you at greater risk of developing kidney disease include obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and dysbiosis which is an imbalance of more ‘bad’ bacteria over ‘good’ bacteria or probiotics in your gut.
When your kidneys cannot effectively filtrate and remove waste products from your blood for three months or more this is classified as chronic kidney disease. It is estimated that from the years 2011- 2012 eleven percent of Australians over the age of eighteen had signs of chronic kidney disease.
There are many lifestyle habits you can take on to look after your kidneys and diet is one key factor impacting the health of your kidneys. A pooled analysis of 19 cohort studies suggests that omega-3 fat could play a powerful role in reducing your risk of developing chronic kidney disease.
The researchers used studies from twelve different countries. Participants were aged between forty-nine years of age to seventy-seven years of age. Twenty-five thousand, five hundred and seventy participants were included in the analysis. The middle number of years participants were followed up in these studies were eleven point three years from the initiation of the study. Sixteen of the nineteen studies recruited both men and women in their study.
It was found that higher levels of omega-3 fat from seafood sources was linked to a reduced incidence of chronic kidney disease. Omega-3 fat found in seafood is comprised of two omega-3 fats called Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid.
Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid have a number of proposed mechanisms to help reduce your risk of developing chronic kidney disease. This includes their ability to reduce artery stiffness, help to lower your blood pressure and help to reduce blood cholesterol levels, specifically triglycerides. These may help to reduce your risk of developing chronic kidney disease because high blood pressure, disfunction of the cells that line of your blood vessels, and an imbalance in your cholesterol are all risk factors of developing chronic kidney disease.
Those participants who ate were in the highest fifth of amount of omega-3 fat consumed compared to the lowest fifth had a thirteen percent lower risk of developing chronic kidney disease. The protective effects of omega-3 fat from seafood sources were found to be consistent regardless of the age of the participant. Interestingly, plant derived omega-3 fat called alpha linoleic acid was not associated with the same potential protective effects as omega-3 fat found in seafood.
To provide your body with the recommended amount of omega-3 fat including two to three serves of seafood a week is the best first approach. A serve is considered one hundred grams of cooked seafood. A whole food approach will not only give your body seafood sources of omega-3 fat but a matrix of other health benefits including a complete protein source, vitamin B12, choline and iron, just to name a few nutrients. Fatty fish like salmon, sardines, herring, barramundi, and mackerel are good sources of fatty fish.
Take home message: While no one single factor can completely reduce your risk of developing chronic kidney disease, adding sufficient omega-3 fat to your lifestyle could be an important component.
References:
- Chronic kidney disease: Australian facts. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australian Government. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease/contents/summary
- Association of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids with incident chronic kidney disease: pooled analysis of 19 cohorts, BMJ 2023; 380 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2022-072909 (Published 18 January 2023)
- Pase MP, Grima NA, Sarris J. Do long-chain n-3 fatty acids reduce arterial stiffness? A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Nutr 2011;106:974-80. doi:10.1017/S0007114511002819
- Zhang X, Ritonja JA, Zhou N, Chen BE, Li X. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids intake and blood pressure: a dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Am Heart Assoc 2022;11:e025071. doi:10.1161/JAHA.121.025071
