A study conducted in Ghana has established that individuals who consume a highly pro-inflammatory diet face more than six times the risk of developing chronic kidney disease compared to those who eat anti-inflammatory foods. The research, published on May 26, 2026, in Scientific Reports, a journal within the Nature portfolio, was carried out by a team of Ghanaian and international researchers led by Antwi Joseph Barimah of the College of Health at Yamfo.
The findings emerge at a crucial moment, as kidney disease cases continue to rise nationwide—an increase some health experts attribute to a gradual shift away from traditional Ghanaian diets. The study, conducted at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital between August and October 2022, involved 200 participants, evenly split between chronic kidney disease patients and healthy controls.
Researchers used a structured food frequency questionnaire, adapted from World Health Organisation and Food and Agriculture Organisation guidelines, to evaluate dietary habits. They then calculated a Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) score based on 29 parameters, including fats, carbohydrates, proteins, fibre, vitamins, and even tea and onion intake.
The results were striking. While 20% of all participants fell into the highest pro-inflammatory diet category, the gap between the two groups was stark: 31% of kidney disease patients consumed highly pro-inflammatory diets compared to just 9% of healthy participants. Conversely, 38% of healthy individuals followed strongly anti-inflammatory diets, whereas only 2% of kidney disease patients did so.
The dose-response relationship proved equally alarming. As dietary inflammatory scores rose, so did the odds of kidney disease. Participants in the third quintile of pro-inflammatory eating were nearly three times more likely to have chronic kidney disease than those in the lowest category. Those in the fourth quintile faced a fivefold increase in risk. And individuals in the highest pro-inflammatory quintile had their odds skyrocket by more than six times.
The study’s authors pointed to a worrying trend in Ghanaian eating habits. The traditional Ghanaian diet, rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains, is inherently anti-inflammatory. However, a shift towards westernised eating patterns high in saturated fats and simple sugars appears to be fuelling inflammation, which plays a critical role in the development of kidney disease in all its forms.
Interestingly, the study found that kidney disease patients reported markedly higher protein intake than healthy controls, despite clinical guidelines advising moderation for non-dialysis cases. The authors observed that strict dietary restrictions are often difficult to sustain in everyday life, and that late presentation of the disease may shift priorities toward ensuring general nutritional adequacy rather than rigorous dietary management.
Researchers accounted for key confounding factors—including age, sex, hypertension, and diabetes, all established contributors to kidney disease. Even after these adjustments, the link between pro-inflammatory diets and chronic kidney disease remained strongly significant.
Lead author Antwi Joseph Barimah and his team have recommended that healthcare providers at Korle-Bu and similar institutions integrate Dietary Inflammatory Index scoring into routine screening for at-risk patients. They further urged that nutrition counselling highlight anti-inflammatory eating patterns—such as greater consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, alongside reduced intake of processed foods high in saturated fats. The researchers also advocated for stronger involvement of dietitians in renal care teams to deliver tailored dietary interventions.
The study acknowledged certain limitations, including the use of non-probability sampling, which may limit generalisability, and the potential for recall bias inherent in food frequency questionnaires. There is also the possibility that some kidney disease patients, having received prior dietary counselling, may have reported a healthier intake than they actually consumed. The authors recommended that future research employ alternative, less subjective dietary assessment methods.
The study was approved by the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, and all participants provided informed signed consent. The authors declared no competing interests and confirmed that no external funding was received for the research.
Source: Kweku Zurek
