Hello all

I thought I had all my responses down to a tee, until the other day someone said "That diet is not good for people with kidney problems and you'll probably have kidney problems later".

Who has a good answer for this one?

hi, i get my kidney function tested every 6 months, no problem after 3 years l-cing.
atkins does suggest to see a doctor before l-carbing if you already have kidney problems
dr bernstein had kidney damage before he started his l-c diet and his kidney function has improved.
as a diabetic high blood sugars do more kidney damage and as l-cing normalizers bgs i know where i,m better off.

christine

HIGH protein diets are not advised for persons with pre-existing kidney disease, because excess by-products from protein metabolism (specifically urea and creatinine) can worsen the condition.

1. High protein diets will NOT damage healthy kidneys.

2. Atkins, Protein Power and similar low-carb programs are NOT high protein diets, they are adequate protein diets. Most of the caloric energy provided by a low-carb diet comes from FAT, not protein.

3. Fats and fat's by-products (ketones) are NOT harmful to kidneys, healthy or otherwise.


So, how do kidneys get damaged in the first place??

- Kidney infection, which most often is secondary to an infection elsewhere in the body that spreads to the kidneys ... pneumonia from the lungs, a severe bladder infection, sepsis in the blood. Or, untreated kidney stones can be a breeding ground for infection (kidney stones result from insufficient water intake, so calcified crystals don't get flushed out .. they accumulate and form stones).

- A massive drop in blood flow will also damage kidneys ... severe dehydration due to a viral illness, major loss of blood due to an accident or trauma, systemic shock due to a life-threatening infection or a head injury.

- Chemical injury ... untoward side-effect or allergic reaction to a drug, overdose of a drug (intentional or accidental) or ingestion of a toxic substance. Or severe alcoholism.

- Chronically high blood sugars due to uncontrolled or inadequately controlled diabetes. Glucose molecules are large, and will physically damage the filtration cells in the kidneys as they push through. Diabetes is considered THE leading risk for having kidney damage known to medicine. In addition, high levels of insulin .. as seen with Insulin Resistance and Type 2 diabetes .. increases the kidney filtration rate and force, thus compounding the problem further.


In "Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution: A Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars", Dr. K. Bernstein shows how a low-carb diet can actually REVERSE diabetic kidney damage, by getting blood sugars down and keeping them down.


hth,

Doreen