Background/Aims: Dialysis patients are at risk of consuming a poor quality diet, long chain (LC) omega-3 fatty acid intake is of particular interest. This study aims to investigate diet quality using numerous tools, and assess omega-3 erythrocyte fatty acid status in an End Stage Renal Failure population on dialysis.
Methods: Dietary intake was measured for participants (n=32) using 3 24 hour recalls and the Polyunsaturated Food Frequency questionnaire (PUFA FFQ) which was compared to the evidence based practice guidelines (EBPG), a Patient Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG SGA) was used to measure malnourishment and diet quality was assessed using the Total Diet Score (TDS). Erythrocyte fatty acid analysis was conducted to calculate the omega-3 index, the arachidonic acid to eicosapentaenoic acid ratio (AA/EPA) and levels of DHA deficiency.
Results: Adherence to the EBPG were poor, specifically for energy and protein intake and saturated fat and carbohydrates as a % of total energy. The PG SGA found 58% of participants mild to moderately malnourished and 3% severely malnourished. The mean TDS of the population was 10.23, which was significantly (p<0.05) higher than the TDS of a healthy cohort. The omega-3 index was the same between the dialysis cohort and a healthy cohort, but the AA/EPA ratio was significantly higher in the dialysis cohort.
Conclusion: Dialysis patients have a diet quality similar to a healthy cohort, however improvements are required for better adherence to the EBPG. Increased consumption of LC omega-3 fatty acids may also benefit this population.
Funding Source(s): N/A