BACKGROUND: Chronic renal failure patients frequently show malnourishment. OBJETIVE: The food intake and the nutritional status of 165 chronic renal failure patients on maintenance hemodialysis were studied. METHODS: Nutritional status of 165 patients were studied by anthropometry, biochemical measurements, protein nitrogen appearance rate (PNA) and a average food intake. RESULTS: The results show that in mean the percent standard body weight, the body mass index (BMI), the mid arm muscle circumference (MAMC) and the triceps skinfold thickness (TSF) were adequate, however, 38% of women and 27% of men had the TSF bellow the 5th percentile; 39% of men and 2% of women presented MAMC bellow the 5th percent, showing that lose body fat in both sexs and the muscle stores in men. Energy intake was 29.5 ± 10.2 Kcal/kg/day and 74% of the patients consumed less than 35 Kcal/kg/day, the recommended level for this population. Although the protein intake was in the recommended range (1.32 ± 0.4 g/kg/day), 47% of the patients consumed less than 1.2 g/Kg/day. Mean serum albumin was 3.96 ± 0.36 g/dL (normal value). According to TSF and of MAMC criteria (the reference was the 5th percentile), 74 (44.8%) patients were classified as malnourished. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of malnutrition is high in our population and the poor food intake may contribute to this condition.