http://www.fftimes.com/index.php/6/2004-03-01/17160

Study to see if Atkins diet hurts kidneys
March 01, 2004

By Alison Mayes
Winnipeg Free Press

Is the wildly popular Atkins diet damaging to kidneys? A Winnipeg scientist is studying protein-fed pigs to find out.

Dr. Harold Aukema, a professor in the University of Manitoba’s department of human nutritional sciences, was granted more than $325,000 by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research last week to study the long-term effects of high-protein consumption.

The current mania for low-carb, Atkins-style dieting, which often sees dieters gorging on protein-rich foods like eggs, steak, and cheese, definitely was a factor in pursuing the research, Aukema said.

“With the Atkins-type diet, which typically ends up being high-protein, there really isn’t long-term data. Short-term data suggests that the kidney is stressed.

“The hypothesis [of the study] would be that there would be kidney damage.”

The study, which is to start this summer, also will look at whether high-protein intake weakens bones and affects bone density, Aukema said.

About two years ago, the Canadian and U.S. governments released dietary recommendations saying an acceptable range for protein intake is from 10 to 35 percent of daily calories.

The typical Canadian gets about 15 percent of calories from protein, Aukema said.

He questions whether the upper guideline should be so high, saying there is not enough data to show whether that level is harmful.

“I’m not sure why they said that was acceptable. If I look at the literature, I wouldn’t have gone that high.”

Aukema said it would be quite easy for people on Atkins-type programs to reach the 35-percent level.

“There’s probably not a lot of people who have been doing that long-term. It’s a relatively new fad,” he said. “I mean, it’s been around for a long time, but it’s really caught the public’s attention lately.”

The nutritional scientist said people who are loading up on meat, eggs, and dairy products as part of a weight-loss regimen “are making themselves guinea pigs, because we don’t have long-term data.”

For their research, Aukema and his colleagues will use pigs—animals that closely resemble us in kidney function.

For a year, they will feed one group of 30 porkers at the 15-percent level of the typical Canadian, including meat, dairy, egg, and plant protein in proportions to mimic our diets.

Another group of 30 pigs will feast on the 35-percent protein menu. Most of the protein will be from animal sources, because when people increase their protein consumption, they rarely turn to plant sources.

“After feeding them for a year, we’ll take sections of their kidneys and look under the microscope, and see if their structure has changed compared to the ones on the normal protein intake,” Aukema said.