High Protein Whole Food Snack and Albumin Outcomes in Patients With Dialysis-Dependent Chronic Kidney Disease

Protein-energy wasting is common among patients on hemodialysis (HD). This study sought to define effects that a novel, post-HD, high-calorie, high-protein whole food snack had on patients’ serum albumin (serum alb), serum phosphorus and equilibrated normalized protein catabolic rate (enPCR). A 12-month (6 months intervention, 6 months pre/post data collection), single-center, unblinded study was conducted. Participants (n = 67) consumed, ad libitum, a whole food snack post-HD for 6 treatments each month. Upon analysis, regression models identified relationships between serum alb and whole food snack consumption across follow up. Predefined effect size anticipated was + 0.2 g/dL. Patients were stratified by high (≥4 g/dL) or low (