Dietary Animal-derived L-Arginine Intakes and Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: a 6-year Follow-up of Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study

Introduction. There is inconsistent evidence regarding the potential role of L-arginine intake on kidney function. This study investigated the association of dietary L-arginine intake and the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adults.
Materials and Methods. We evaluated 1780 men and women participated in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study, followed for a median of 6.3 years. Dietary intakes of total L-arginine as well as animal- and plant-derived L-arginine were assessed using the validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, at baseline. Demographics, anthropometrics, and biochemical variables were evaluated at baseline and again after a 3-year and a 6-year follow-up. The incidence of CKD was assessed across tertiles of L-arginine and its categories using multivariable logistic regression models.
Results. The mean dietary intakes of total, plant-derived, and animal-derived L-arginine were 4.1 ± 1.5 g/d, 1.8 ± 0.9 g/d, and 2.1 ± 0.8 g/d, respectively. In the fully-adjusted logistic regression model, the highest compared to the lowest intakes of animal-derived L-arginine (2.57 g/d versus 1.05 g/d) increased the risk of CKD (relative risk, 1.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.06 to 2.14, P = .02 for trend). Animal-derived L-arginine was negatively associated with changes of estimated glomerular filtration rate and creatinine clearance rate during the follow-up. There was no significant association between total or plant-derived L-arginine intakes and the risk of CKD after 6.3 years of follow-up.
Conclusions. Our findings suggested an adverse effect of higher intakes of L-arginine from animal sources that could be a dietary risk factor for development of kidney disease.