Nutrition in hemodialysis patients is important in decreasing complications, improving quality of life, and preventing of malnutrition. Recommendations of the guidelines are taken into consideration while prescribing a nutrition therapy plan for patients. However, the recommendations may differ between the guidelines. It was aimed to compare the newly published National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF KDOQI) guideline with previous reported two guideline recommendations and protein energy wasting criteria in this study.

Fifty-five maintenance hemodialysis patients between the ages of 18–65 were included in the study. Daily energy intake and daily protein intake of these patients were evaluated by three different nutrition guidelines; NKF KDOQI-2000, 2020 and European Best Practice Guidelines-2007. In addition, protein energy wasting was determined by using anthropometric measurements, biochemical findings and food intake of the patients.

When the inadequacy rate in dietary daily energy intake and daily protein intake of the patients evaluated by NKF KDOQI-2000 recommendations, it was found to be higher than the rates in other two recommendations (P<0.05). Based on criteria, protein energy wasting was detected in 29.1% of the patients. While the NKF KDOQI-2020 daily energy intake recommendation was not consistent with other guideline recommendations, it seems highly compatible with protein energy wasting recommendations such as albumin, body mass index, mid-upper arm circumference, energy, and protein intake. While NKF KDOQI-2020 daily protein intake recommendation complies with European Best Practice Guidelines-2007 recommendations, the level of agreement with protein energy wasting criteria is very low.

Inadequate protein intake is still an ongoing problem in hemodialysis patients. NKF KDOQI-2020 guidelines provide a more suitable and applicable daily energy intake recommendation for patients compared to the previous guidelines.