Lower Protein Diet May Be Better in Incremental Peritoneal Dialysis

TUESDAY, Aug. 18, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A lower protein diet could be associated with better control of uremic toxins in patients starting peritoneal dialysis (PD) with a lower dose (incremental PD), according to a study published online Aug. 6 in Nutrients.

Silvio Borrelli, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” in Naples, Italy, and colleagues conducted an interim analysis of the I-COPE PD study cohort aimed to assess one-year changes in serum albumin, body mass index (BMI), and metabolic parameters in a cohort of 205 patients on incremental PD. Patients were categorized into two groups according to protein diet prescription: protein diet (PrD) ≤0.6 g/kg/day (45.4 percent of patients) and PrD >0.6 g/kg/day. Longitudinal changes were analyzed at baseline and six and 12 months.

The researchers found that the prevalence of patients persisting in incremental PD was not different between the two dietary groups (59.1 versus 63.3 percent in PrD ≤0.6 versus PrD >0.6). A similar trend in serum albumin was seen in both groups, characterized by an initial decline followed by stabilization. There were no significant differences observed in BMI. Compared with the PrD >0.6 group, patients on PrD ≤0.6 exhibited significantly lower serum urea, phosphate, and potassium levels over time, despite comparable dialysis adequacy.

“Our observational analysis provides, for the first time, suggestive data on the benefits and safety of the reduction in protein in the diet of patients starting PD by incremental approach,” the authors write.

Two authors disclosed ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including Vantive, which partially funded the study.

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