Can High Protein Diets Damage Kidneys?

The BBC recently reported on research conducted in the United States suggesting that people with kidney problem should avoid high protein diets — such as the Atkins diet.

The research, conducted by the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health, followed 1,624 women aged 42-68 for 11 years. The women were asked to fill out questionnaires about their eating habits.

Researchers took blood samples to evaluate kidney functions and reported that 489 of the women suffered from mild kidney problems.

The BBC reports that,

The researchers found that in women ho had normal kidney function, there was no lnk between high-protein diets and a decline in renal function.

But those who already had a mild kidney problem who ate a high-protein diet, particularly one high in meat protein, showed some deterioration.

The BBC quotes researcher Eric Knight as saying,

The potential effects of dietary protein consumption on renal function on persons with mild renal insufficiency have important public health implications given the prevalence of high-protein diets.

But while high protein intake may exacerbate pre-existing kidney problems, there is no evidence that high protein consumption itself causes such problems. The BBC quotes Elizabeth Ward of the British Kidney Patient Association,

If you have healthy kidneys, you can’t eat enough protein to damage your kidneys. But there are a number of kidney diseases, which do not produce symptoms until much later on in the illness. People who are thinking of trying one of these diets should go their GP for a urine test which would pick up 90% of problems.

As always, consult your doctor before starting a weight loss regimen.

Source:

High-protein diets ‘damage kidneys’. The BBC, March 18, 2003.

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