High Protein Ruins Kidneys?????
 

Hi, I am newly diagnosed as glucose intolerant. I just returned from an appointment with the diabetic dietician. She says I am eating way too much protein and I will ruin my kidneys if I keep it up. So now I am really confused..... all the books I read, Atkins, Protein Power, Somersizing, Carbohydrate Addicts, etc., really seem to know what they are talking about and I am having trouble believing her. But she is the professional, and I really would hate to "ruin" my kidneys. Has anyone out there had kidney problems as a result of too much protein? To my way of thinking, if obeseity will cause diabetes, isn't it of major importance to loose the weight first and worry about the protein overload later. Any input on this subject from all you out there would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Hello!
 

I'm no expert BY FAR!!! There are plenty folks on this forum that can give you better information than I can BUT my first question is this...what caused her to make that statement??? Did she just ask you what your diet was like OR had she taken some tests or something and based on the results told you this? I ask because there are a lot of "professionals" who still are pretty prejudiced against LC diets. If that was her OPINION based on what you said you were eating, that would hold less weight in my mind than her actually having PROOF that damage was being done. Get me?

My other question is to you. Are doing all the right things? Meaning are you drinking PLENTY of water? Are you balancing your proteins and your fats? Are you eating vegetables to get the right kind of carbs? Are you taking your vitamins? There are things we can do to make sure our body is getting what it needs to function properly and process the extra protein.

I'm sure others will jump in...but just something to think about in the meantime!

BTW, I've been LC for almost a year now and get checkups regularly with great results.

Peace,
Star

Merry, I moved your post here to the Health forum from the Journals. It will get more replies here - mine among them :)

Adequate protein diets - which is what Atkins, Protein Power and the others you mentioned are - do not cause kidney disease or failure or "Kidney anything". Your health care profession does not have her facts straight. If you have a pre existing problem associated with your kidneys then a diet higher in protein will place more stress on your kidneys as protein has a diuretic effect.

There are diabetic members on this forum who've been LCing for years and still have both their Kidneys ;) They have also lost a lot of fat to boot.

I would suggest that you get one more book to add to your arsenal: Dr Bernsteins Diabetic Solution. Dr. B is a Type I diabetic who has helped countless patients with diabetes (type I & II) regulate their blood sugar through a LC WOE. It's a must have. You may even want to share it with your dietician.

Nat

(echoing what nat said)

I've just been re-reading through DANDR again and saw that Dr. Atkins' states that there is absolutely no research to suggest that taking in large amounts of protein will damage your kidneys. According to him, that is a misunderstanding based upon the fact that people with kidney problems have problems metabolizing protein. So doctors have spread the fallacy that because people with poor kidney function cannot metabolize protein, therefore large quanities of protein must cause kidney problems!

Just drink your water to make sure everything runs smoothly and you'll be fine.

More importantly, Dr. Bernstein actually REVERSED his own kidney disease by getting his blood sugars under control with a low-carb, higer protein & fat diet, and exercise.

Dr. B has a website, http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com .. with portions of his book posted online. You might want to read his personal story ... it's quite incredible :) My First 50 Years As a Diabetic.

I've recently posted an explanation of how kidneys are damaged in diabetes .. it's uncontrolled high sugars and insulin that are the culprits, not protein. Once kidneys are damaged, their filtration system is weakened .. and it's the weakened filtering system (the glomerulofilter) that can be stressed by too much protein. You can read that post in the Diabetes forum Diabetic Nephropathy, Albuminuria and the role of Protein

Hope this helps to ease your worries.

Doreen