(P18-018-24) Reversing Severe Chronic Kidney Disease Before and After COVID-19 Infection With a Whole-Food, Plant-Based, Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) Diet

Objectives: To determine the impact of the a micronutrient-rich, whole food plant-based Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) diet on a 66 year old male with stage 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD) secondary to uncontrolled Type II Diabetes Mellitus.

Methods: The patient was counseled to adopt the LIFE diet. Objective laboratory measurements, including GFR, creatinine, HbA1c, BUN, albumin to creatinine ratio in urine, hsCRP, and beta carotene, were obtained at baseline and repeatedly over the course of the intervention.

Results: Within three months, his GFR increased by 88% to 49 mL/min, creatinine decreased by 40% to 1.66 mg/dL, and beta-carotene increased by 794% to 143 mcg/dL. Soon afterward, the patient discontinued the diet for one month and was then hospitalized with COVID-19. After the infection, he remained inconsistent with the LIFE diet; his GFR was reduced to 34 mL/min, creatinine increased to 2.2 mg/dL, and beta-carotene decreased to 89 mcg/dL. The patient once again became adherent to the LIFE diet, and his kidney function rebounded within three months.

Conclusions: In this case study, we demonstrate that consumption of the LIFE Diet resulted in improvements in GFR and creatinine in a patient with severe stage 4 CKD, while increasing the serum levels of beta-carotene. This is the first case study to demonstrate the potential reversal of stage 4 CKD with either dietary or medication interventions. This report indicates that a micronutrient-rich, whole food plant-based diet may improve kidney function in patients with severe CKD.

Funding Sources: None