Dietary patterns, blood pressure and proteinuria in West Africans with chronic kidney disease. Analysis from a West African CKD cohort: the Diet, Chronic Kidney Disease and Apolipoprotein L1 (DCA) Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The associations of dietary patterns with blood pressure (BP) and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in sub-Saharan Africa remains uncharacterized. We examined population-specific dietary patterns and their associations with BP and proteinuria in West Africans with CKD.

METHODS AND

RESULTS

In a cross-sectional analysis of the Diet, CKD and APOL1 (DCA) study, dietary data from 713 participants were analyzed. Five dietary patterns were identified using principal component analysis: Processed Cereals and Soups & Sauces; Poultry and Vegetable & Seed Oils; Processed Meat and Seasoning & Spices; Poultry and Seafood; and Processed Cereals, Pulses, and Grains. Mixed-effect linear regression models estimated associations of consumption quartiles with systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), and 24-hour urine protein. Mean age was 49 ± 18 years; mean SBP and DBP were 131 ± 22 mmHg and 80 ± 14 mmHg, respectively. The Poultry and Vegetable & Seed Oils Dietary Pattern was associated with higher DBP (Q3: β = 3.39 mmHg [0.59 to 6.22]; Q4: β = 3.93 mmHg [1.07 to 6.85], p for trend = 0.003). Processed Meat and Seasoning & Spices Dietary Pattern was associated with higher proteinuria (Q3: GMR = 1.40 [1.09 to 1.85]; Q4: GMR = 1.32 [1.03 to 1.74], p for trend = 0.01). The remaining patterns showed no significant associations.

CONCLUSIONS

Dietary patterns featuring processed meats, seasonings, and refined oils may worsen CKD risk profiles in West Africans. We need prospective studies and randomized trials investigating African diets and their impact on BP and proteinuria.