Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been increasing globally over the past 40 years meanwhile is the leading cause of mortality in post-renal transplant recipients (RTRs). Obesity is an established risk factor for CVD, however, dietary food and nutrient intake may be affecting factors related to CVD. This study aims to investigate the differences of dietary food and nutrient intake between obese and non-obese RTRs in Taiwan.
Methods: A cross-sectional study recruited 219 RTRs from September, 2016 to December, 2023. Characteristics, anthropometry and laboratory data were retrieved from medical records. A 3-day dietary record (including 2 weekdays and 1 holiday) of dietary data was collected by a well-trained dietitian at clinics. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS software, 9.4 version.
Results: The characteristics data showed that obese RTRs have significantly higher muscle mass, waist circumferences and more abnormal metabolic risks such as higher triglyceride and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and poor kidney function (trend) than non-obese RTRs. Dietary data indicated that RTRs had significantly lower consumption of dairy, and higher consumption of nuts and oil compared with non-obese RTRs. Regarding nutrient intake, significantly higher consumption of vitamin B6, and vitamin E, were shown in obese RTRs.
Conclusion: Overall, our results observed that higher metabolic risks and dietary nuts and oil intake and lower dairy intake were observed in obese RTRs. Further studies related to the association between dietary nutrition assessment and obesity with metabolic abnormalities risks were warranted.