Association between Low Dietary Protein Intake and Geriatric Nutrition Risk Index in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Retrospective Single-Center Cohort Study

Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index is associated with adverse outcomes in patients with hypertension: the Fukushima Cohort study

Malnutrition is reportedly associated with adverse clinical outcomes in various populations. However, associations between nutritional status and adverse outcomes in patients with hypertension have not been sufficiently elucidated. We therefore aimed to investigate the impact of nutritional status as evaluated by the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) on adverse outcomes in patients with hypertension. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1588 hypertensive patients enrolled in the Fukushima Cohort Study. Participants were categorized into tertiles (T1-T3) according to GNRI at baseline. The primary endpoint of the present study was a kidney event, defined as a combination of a 50% decline in eGFR from baseline and end-stage kidney disease requiring kidney replacement therapy. Associations between GNRI and kidney events were assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Median age was 64 years, 55% were men, median eGFR was 63.1 mL/min/1.73 m2, and median GNRI was 101.3. The lower GNRI group (T1) showed an increased incidence of kidney events in the Kaplan-Meier curve analysis. Compared to the highest GNRI group (T3), lower GNRI carried a higher risk of kidney events for both T2 (hazard ratio [HR] 1.38, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.71-2.68) and T1 (HR 3.59, 95%CI 1.96-6.63). Similar relationships were observed for risks of all-cause death and cardiovascular events. Lower GNRI was associated with kidney events, all-cause death, and cardiovascular events in patients with hypertension. Nutritional status as evaluated by GNRI could offer a simple and useful predictor of adverse outcomes in this population.

Role of composite objective nutritional indexes in patients with chronic kidney disease

Malnutrition persists as one of the most severe symptoms in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) globally. It is a critical risk factor for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients with CKD. Readily available objective indicators are used to calculate composite objective nutritional assessment indexes, including the geriatric nutritional risk index, prognostic nutritional index, and controlling nutritional status score. These indexes offer a straightforward and effective method for evaluating nutritional status and predicting clinical outcomes in patients with CKD. This review presents supporting evidence on the significance of composite nutritional indexes.

Association of carbohydrate intake from different sources with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among chronic kidney disease populations: assessment of 1999-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participation

This study analysed the data from the NHANES (1999-2018) to examine how different sources of carbohydrate intake affected the all-cause and cardiovascular mortality of 11,302 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. The data were adjusted for other factors using various methods. The results showed that CKD patients (stages 1-2 and 3-5) who consumed more carbohydrates from whole grains, fruits, vegetables and less carbohydrates from fruit juice or sauces had lower mortality rates. Replacing fat intake with carbohydrates from whole grains (HR = 0.86[0.78-0.95]), fruits (raw) (HR = 0.79[0.70-0.88]) and non-starchy vegetables (HR = 0.82[0.70-0.96]), but not protein intake, was linked to lower all-cause mortality. The fibre content in carbohydrates might partly account for the benefits of selected carbohydrate intake. This study provided practical recommendations for optimising the carbohydrate sources in CKD patients.

Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index as a Prognostic Factor for Renal Progression in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) is associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). In total, 1100 patients with type 2 DM with a follow-up duration > 1 year were included in this longitudinal study. The risk of CKD progression was assessed according to GNRI quartiles. Patients in the lowest GNRI quartile exhibited a significantly lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), compared with those in quartile four. Moreover, these patients had poorer glycemic control and lower hemoglobin levels, body mass index, and albumin levels. Additionally, they exhibited a greater annual decline in eGFR. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that old age (>60 years), baseline eGFR, the presence of proteinuria, the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, and low GNRI were significantly associated with CKD progression. GNRI may serve as a valuable predictive tool for identifying the risk of adverse renal outcomes in patients with type 2 DM. It may potentially serve as a more feasible measure for assessing the nutritional status of these patients, as well as for predicting their clinical outcomes.

Kidney function profile before, during, and after Ramadan fasting in healthy elderly: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND Kidney function profile is one of the important parameters in determining the health of the elderly. In Indonesia, no study has been conducted on kidney function profile during Ramadan fasting to determine the safety of Ramadan fasting in the elderly. This study aimed to determine the kidney function profile in the elderly who fasted during Ramadan. METHODS This study used a prospective cohort design. The inclusion criteria were elderly aged >60 years undergoing Ramadan fasting in Jatinegara, Jakarta from April to July 2019. Patients with end-stage renal failure who had an acute infection, hypertension crisis, or refused to participate in the study were excluded. Patients who did not fast for 3 consecutive days were dropped out. The kidney function profile was calculated by the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using the CKD-EPI formula 1 week before the first day of Ramadan, 3 weeks after the first day of fasting, and 2 weeks after the last day of fasting. Decreased eGFR was defined as having a minimum of 20% eGFR decline during or after the fasting period. Bivariate analysis was performed using McNemar or Cochran tests. RESULTS 2 patients had eGFR decline during fasting, and 7 patients had eGFR decline after fasting. The median eGFR before, during, and after fasting were 81.5, 88.7, and 76.8 ml/min/1.73 m², respectively. A total of 1.4% of subjects had decreased eGFR during Ramadan, while 9.1% had decreased eGFR after Ramadan. However, the changes were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Although most elderly had lower eGFR following Ramadan fasting compared to before and during Ramadan, only individuals with several comorbidities had significant changes of kidney function.

The Association of Controlling Nutritional Status Score and Prognostic Nutritional Index with Cardiovascular Diseases: the Fukuoka Kidney Disease Registry Study

AIM

The Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score and the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) reflect the immunonutritional status of patients. However, the associations of these two indices with cardiovascular disease (CVD) have not been characterized in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therefore, the current study aimed to determine whether the CONUT score or PNI was associated with prior CVD in patients with CKD.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of 2,751 patients with CKD who were not on dialysis was performed. The patients were grouped into tertiles (T1-T3) of PNI and placed into three groups following their CONUT score: low- (CONUT score, 0), mild- (CONUT score, 1-2), and moderate-to-high- (CONUT score, ≥ 3) risk groups.

RESULTS

Prior CVD was present in 655 (24%) of the participants. Multivariable logistic regression analyses, with adjustment for potential confounders, showed that high CONUT score was associated with prior CVD than the low score (mild-risk group: odds ratio [OR]=1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.04-1.76; moderate-to-high-risk group: OR=1.66, 95% CI=1.19-2.30). In addition, the lower PNI tertiles were independently associated with prior CVD compared with T3 of PNI (T1: OR=1.45, 95% CI=1.09-1.92; T2: OR=1.32, 95% CI=1.01-1.72).

CONCLUSIONS

Both CONUT score and PNI were found to be independently associated with prior CVD in patients with CKD in the present cross-sectional study. A longitudinal study is needed to elucidate whether these two indices are associated with subsequent cardiovascular events.

Utility of Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Mini-Review

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most significant risk factors for cardiovasculardisese. Malnutrition has been recognized as a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease in patients with CKD, including those on chronic dialysis. Current studies showed higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality rates in patients with CKD and malnutrition. Geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI), a simple and validated nutritional screening measure for both elderly people and patients on dialysis, is based only on three objective parameters: body weight, height, and serum albumin level. Recently, we demonstrated that the cutoff GNRI for predicting all-cause and cardiovascular mortality was 96 in patients on hemodialysis. Moreover, together with left ventricular hypertrophy and low estimated glomerular filtration rate, the utility of GNRI as a significant determinant of cardiovascular events was demonstrated in non-dialysis-dependent patients with CKD. In the present review, we summarize available evidence regarding the relationship of GNRI with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with CKD including those on dialysis.

Association of impedance ratio with corrected Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index in older patients with nondialysis chronic kidney disease stage 5

BACKGROUND

The usual calculation of body mass index (BMI) can be misleading in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) because their altered fluid balances may not be reflected. We obtained corrected BMI (cBMI) and corrected Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (cGNRI) values and investigated whether the impedance ratio (IR) of 200/5 kHz, measured using bioimpedance spectroscopy, was associated with cGNRI in older patients with nondialysis CKD stage 5 (CKD5-ND).

METHODS

Patients over 65 years old (n = 118) were divided into groups by cGNRI tertiles. The differences between the correlations were tested using Steiger's z-test. The IR and cBMI were used as both continuous and categorical variables in the regression analyses to determine the factors that were independently associated with the cGNRI.

RESULTS

Patients in the third cGNRI tertile had a significantly lower mean IR than those in the other 2 tertiles (P < .001). Across the 3 cGNRI tertile groups, the IR was incrementally lower in the higher cGNRI tertiles (P for trend < .001). The Steiger's z-test showed that the IR had a significantly stronger correlation with cGNRI than cBMI had with cGNRI. In the multivariable linear regression analyses, the IR was independently associated with the cGNRI, after adjusting for various confounders.

CONCLUSION

The current results revealed that the IR was a more sensitive indicator of nutrition risk than BMI and was independently associated with cGNRI in older patients with CKD5-ND. Our study suggests that the IR is an appropriate tool for nutrition risk screening.

Geriatric nutrition risk index is associated with renal progression, cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND

Malnutrition is common and associated with poor outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Recently, the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) was reported as a novel tool for evaluating nutritional status. However, the association between GNRI and renal outcome, cardiovascular (CVD) events, and mortality in patients with CKD remains unclear.

METHODS

A prospective cohort study with adult patients with CKD stages 1-4 was conducted at 39 centers around China starting in 2011. Patients were divided into quartiles (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4) according to their GNRI category.

RESULTS

A total of 2791 CKD patients within a median follow-up of 4.38 years were included. A low GNRI quartile was independently associated with progression to ESRD, CVD events, and overall mortality. Compared to that in the Q1 group (the reference group), belonging to a higher GNRI quartile significantly reduced the risk of progression to ESRD in the crude and multivariate-adjusted models. Moreover, a significant inverse association was found between those in the high GNRI quartiles and overall mortality among patients with CKD (HR 0.25; 95% CI 0.15-0.43; p = 0.0007, Q4 vs. Q1) after multivariate adjustment. In addition, there was also a significant association between GNRI and CVD events (HR 0.57; 95% CI 0.39-0.84; p = 0.005, Q4 vs. Q1). Moreover, after adjusting for other confounders, only the Q3 group remained significantly fewer CVD events (HR 0.44; 95% CI 0.19-0.98; p = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that GNRI might be a useful prognostic tool for patients with CKD.

Decreased Bioimpedance Phase Angle in Patients with Diabetic Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 5

Early detection and regular monitoring of the nutritional status of patients with diabetic chronic kidney disease (DMCKD) with reliable tools are necessary. We aimed to determine the clinical significance of the phase angle (PhA) in patients with DMCKD stage 5 not undergoing dialysis. A total of 219 patients (non-diabetic CKD stage 5 [nDMCKD5], n = 84; diabetic CKD stage 5 [DMCKD5], n = 135) were analyzed. The nDMCKD5 group had a significantly higher PhA (p = 0.001), intracellular water/body weight (p = 0.001), and albumin level (p = 0.010) than the DMCKD5 group. The DMCKD5 group experienced significantly more overhydration (p < 0.001). The PhA was positively associated with the lean tissue index (LTI) (r = 0.332; p < 0.001), hemoglobin level (r = 0.223; p = 0.010), albumin level (r = 0.524; p < 0.001), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; r = 0.204; p = 0.018) in the DMCKD5 group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the eGFR (odds ratio [OR]: 0.824, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.698-0.974); p = 0.023), LTI (OR: 0.771, 95% CI: 0.642-0.926; p = 0.005), and albumin level (OR: 0.131, 95% CI: 0.051-0.338; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with undernutrition (PhA < 4.17°) in the DMCKD5 group. Our observations suggest that the PhA could be used as a marker to reflect the nutritional status in patients with DMCKD5.

Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index Is Associated with Unique Health Conditions and Clinical Outcomes in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

Malnutrition is prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, current nutrition screening tools are not specific to the CKD population. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI), a simple tool designed for assessing nutrition-related risks in the elderly population, is associated with unique aspects of CKD such as fluid status, residual renal function, proteinuria, and inflammation, and whether it predicts clinical outcomes. The GNRI was calculated by incorporating serum albumin and anthropometric measurements in 326 patients with nondialysis stage 3–5 CKD who were followed up from September 2011 to March 2017 for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and the composite outcome of all-cause death and cardiovascular events. Patients were stratified into tertiles according to baseline GNRI levels. Patients in the lowest GNRI tertile were more likely to have significantly higher levels of overhydration, proteinuria, and serum inflammatory markers and tended to have lower lean body mass and estimated glomerular filtration rate when compared with patients in the middle and upper GNRI tertiles. In multivariate linear regression analyses, the GNRI was independently associated with overhydration, proteinuria, and interleukin-6. During a median follow-up of 4.9 years, 101 patients developed ESRD; 40 deaths, and 68 cardiovascular events occurred. Patients in the lowest GNRI tertile had significantly increased risks of ESRD (hazard ratio (HR): 3.15, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.95–5.07, p < 0.001) and the composite outcome (HR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.10–2.92, p = 0.019) in fully adjusted models (reference: middle and upper GNRI tertiles). The GNRI takes CKD-specific health conditions into account. In addition, CKD patients with lower GNRI scores had a significantly higher risk of adverse clinical outcomes. Our findings suggest that the GNRI is an appropriate tool for nutrition screening and a prognostic predictor among patients with nondialysis stage 3–5 CKD.

The relationship between poor nutritional status and progression of aortic calcification in patients on maintenance hemodialysis

Background

Although aortic calcification has a significant negative impact on prognosis in patients on hemodialysis (HD), risk factors for aortic calcification progression remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between malnutrition and aortic calcification progression in patients on HD.

Methods

Between April 2015 and October 2016, we treated 232 patients on HD. Of those, we retrospectively evaluated data from 184 patients who had had regular blood tests and computed tomography (CT) scans. The abdominal aortic calcification index (ACI) was quantitatively measured by abdominal CT. Nutritional status was evaluated using the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI). A normalized treatment ratio of functional urea clearance was evaluated by Kt/V. The difference in ACI values between 2015 and 2016 was evaluated as a ΔACI, and patients were stratified into two groups according to ΔACI value: high (≥75th percentile, ΔACI-high group) and low (<75th percentile, ΔACI-low group). Variables such as age, sex, comorbidities, dialysis vintage, serum data, and GNRI were compared between ΔACI-high and ΔACI-low patients. Factors independently associated with a higher ΔACI progression (ΔACI ≥75th percentile) were determined using multivariate logistic analysis.

Results

Median values of ACIs in 2015 and 2016 were 40.8 and 44.6%, respectively. Of 184 patients, 125 (68%) patients experienced ACI progression for 1 year. The median ΔACI and 75th percentile of ΔACI were 2.5% and 5.8%, respectively. The number of patients in the ΔACI-low and ΔACI-high groups were 128 (70%) and 56 (30%), respectively. There were significant differences in sex, presence of diabetic nephropathy, HD vintage, serum albumin, serum phosphate, C-reactive protein, intact parathyroid hormone, Kt/V, and GNRI. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that independent factors associated with a higher ΔACI progression were male sex, serum phosphate levels, HD vintage, and GNRI of < 90.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that poor nutritional status is an independent risk factor for the progression of aortic calcification. Nutrition management may have the potential to improve progression of aortic calcification in patients on HD.

Trial registration

UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000028050.

Low-protein diet supplemented with ketoacids delays the progression of diabetic nephropathy by inhibiting oxidative stress in the KKAy mice model

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major cause of chronic kidney disease. We aimed to investigate the effect of the low-protein diets (LPD) supplemented with ketoacids (LPD+KA) in KKAy mice, an early type 2 DN model. KKAy mice were treated with normal protein diet (NPD), LPD or LPD+KA from 12 to 24 weeks of age. A period of 12-week treatment with LPD significantly reduced albuminuria as compared with that observed after NPD treatment. Treatment with LPD+KA further reduced albuminuria as compared with that observed with LPD treatment alone. Moreover, LPD treatment reduced mesangial expansion, thickness of glomerular basement membrane and the severity of the podocyte foot process effacement in KKAy mice; these effects were more pronounced in KKAy mice treated with LPD+KA. Both LPD and LPD+KA treatments slightly reduced total body weight, but had no significant effect on kidney weight and blood glucose concentrations when compared with NPD-treated KKAy mice. LPD treatment slightly attenuated oxidative stress in kidneys as compared with that observed in NPD-treated KKAy mice; however, LPD+KA treatment remarkably ameliorated oxidative stress in diabetic kidneys as shown by decreased malondialdehyde concentrations, protein carbonylation, nitrotyrosine expression and increased superoxide dismutase expression. Nutritional therapy using LPD+KA confers additional renal benefits as compared with those of LPD treatment alone in early type 2 DN through inhibition of oxidative stress.