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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Feb 9;15(4):874.
doi: 10.3390/nu15040874.

Effect of Protein Intake Early in Life on Kidney Volume and Blood Pressure at 11 Years of Age

Ester Parada-Ricart  1   2 , Natalia Ferre  1 , Veronica Luque  1 , Dariusz Gruszfeld  3 , Kinga Gradowska  3 , Ricardo Closa-Monasterolo  1 , Berthold Koletzko  4 , Veit Grote  4 , Joaquin Escribano Subías  1   5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effect of Protein Intake Early in Life on Kidney Volume and Blood Pressure at 11 Years of Age

Ester Parada-Ricart et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

High protein intake has been associated with kidney hypertrophy, which is usually reversible; however, when it occurs early in life, it could lead to cell programming with a long-lasting effect. This study aimed to assess whether higher protein ingestion early in life has a persistent effect on kidney volume at 11 years of age, as well as its influence on blood pressure. This is a secondary analysis of a randomized control trial that compared the growth of infants fed with a higher-protein formula versus those fed with a lower-protein formula, with a control group of breastfed infants. Renal ultrasound and anthropometric measurements were assessed at 6 months and 11 years of age. At 11 years, urinary protein, albumin and creatinine, and blood pressure were measured in 232 children. Feeding with a higher-protein formula was associated with a larger kidney volume (β = 8.71, 95%CI 0.09-17.33, p = 0.048) and higher systolic blood pressure (β = 3.43, 95%CI 0.78-6.08, p = 0.011) at 11 years of age. Microalbuminuria was detected in 7% of the patients, with no differences among groups (p = 0.56). The effect of increased protein ingestion early in life may condition kidney volume and blood pressure in later childhood.

Keywords: blood pressure; child; kidney; protein.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Correlation between variables. Spearman’s correlation coefficients among variables. * p < 0.05.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mediation analysis on the effect of protein ingestion during the first months of life on systolic blood pressure at 11 years.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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