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New research suggests precision nutrition may help slow the buildup of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, a condition that links obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, and heart disease.
In a review published in Nutrients, Professor Ghada Soliman argues that the biggest opportunity lies in the earliest stages, before damage becomes advanced.
CKM syndrome is a multisystem disease the American Heart Association conceptualized in 2023 to describe how excess body fat, metabolic risk, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease can progress together. Dr. Soliman says observational studies have linked worse CKM stages to higher mortality and poorer outcomes, while healthier dietary patterns such as Mediterranean-style eating, DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension), and plant-based diets have been associated with better health measures.
The article also suggests the liver diseases such as MALSD (metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease) and MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis) may need to be included more explicitly in future CKM frameworks because of its central role in metabolism. Dr. Soliman notes that most of the evidence so far is observational studies and animal models. Clinical trials are still needed to show whether nutrition changes can directly alter CKM risk, she says.
“Beyond adding another label, CKM syndrome gives clinicians a clearer way to see how excess weight, diabetes, kidney disease and heart disease are connected—and why earlier, more personalized nutrition strategies may help slow progression before damage becomes advanced,” says Dr. Soliman.
