Tuesday, November 12

Can High-Protein Diets Damage Your Kidneys?

Here’s a quote that’s been floating around the Internet: “When life gives you lemons, you ask for something higher in protein.”

While it’s not clear who originated the quote (probably not a pasta maker or a bread baker), the quote certainly highlights the recent popularity of high-protein diets such as the Dukan, the Atkins, the South Beach, the Paleo and the Ketogenic diets.

Also, eating too much protein is not without its risks. An article just published in the New England Journal of Medicine reviewed the scientific evidence on what the amount of protein in your diet can do to your kidneys.

For the article, Kamyar Kalantar‑Zadeh, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. of the University of California-Irvine School of Medicine and Denis Fouque, M.D., Ph.D. from the Université Claude Bernard Lyon summarized what is known from studies in animals and humans. Think of your kidneys as the filtering system for your blood.

Moreover, keep in mind that, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 14% of people in the United States have chronic kidney disease, most commonly from high blood pressure or diabetes.

Read more at Forbes