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Malnutrition is a frequent and serious complication in patients undergoing maintenance haemodialysis, and it is associated with significantly worse clinical outcomes. This meta-analysis, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, examined whether traditional Chinese medicine used alongside standard care could help improve nutritional status in this vulnerable population.
Researchers searched seven international and Chinese academic databases covering the decade from March 2016 to March 2026, identifying 26 randomised controlled trials conducted in China and involving 2,263 patients with uraemia. Of these, 1,135 received traditional Chinese medicine in addition to maintenance haemodialysis and standard care, while 1,128 received standard care without traditional Chinese medicine. Fixed-effect or random-effect models were applied depending on the degree of statistical heterogeneity between studies.
The results showed that traditional Chinese medicine significantly improved overall clinical response rates compared with the control group. Among specific nutritional markers, meaningful improvements were recorded in serum albumin, haemoglobin, triceps skinfold thickness, residual kidney function, transferrin, total cholesterol, and modified quantitative subjective global assessment scores. No significant differences were found in body mass index, mid-arm circumference, leptin, or malnutrition inflammation scores. Importantly, adverse event rates did not differ significantly between groups, suggesting a reasonable safety profile.
The authors caution that heterogeneity across the included studies limits the certainty of these conclusions, and that further high-quality trials are needed.
Conclusion: This meta-analysis provides encouraging evidence that traditional Chinese medicine may meaningfully improve nutritional outcomes in maintenance haemodialysis patients without increasing adverse events, though the quality of the underlying evidence warrants further rigorous investigation.
Source: Xu B, Cao X. Frontiers in nutrition (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 42662400) · doi:10.3389/fnut.2026.1852062