Impact of nine dietary minerals on the risk of chronic kidney disease: a multi-model analysis in US adults using NHANES data

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), affecting 8-16% of the global population, presents substantial public health burdens. While constituting only 5% of daily dietary intake, minerals critically influence physiological processes. This study investigates associations between dietary mineral intake and CKD risk; Utilizing publicly available data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we employed multivariate logistic regression, restricted cubic spline (RCS), weighted quantile sum (WQS), quantile-based g-computation (QGcomp), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models to assess CKD-mineral relationships; Multivariate logistic regression revealed significant inverse associations between CKD risk and calcium (OR=0.72), phosphorus (OR=0.69), magnesium (OR=0.65), copper (OR=0.81), potassium (OR=0.85), and zinc (OR=0.88). RCS analysis demonstrated linear protective trends for calcium, phosphorus, zinc, potassium, and selenium, while magnesium, iron, and copper exhibited U-shaped dose-response patterns. WQS regression identified a protective mineral mixture (weighted index OR=0.83), with magnesium (35.2%) and calcium (28.1%) as primary contributors. QGcomp analysis highlighted magnesium's protective effect (-0.21 risk score) contrasting with iron's adverse association (+0.18). BKMR modeling confirmed magnesium's significant protection (PIP=0.92) and sodium's risk elevation (PIP=0.87); Magnesium and calcium emerge as robust protective factors against CKD, while sodium intake increases disease risk. Phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and copper demonstrate potential benefits, whereas iron shows context-dependent effects. These findings emphasize mineral-specific dietary strategies for CKD prevention.