Thanks a lot for your helpful insights!
I am afraid that the fact of a single documented(?) case -by the author of the book Dr. Bernstein himself- of a pro-low carb/high protein diet carrying no complications of his renal function does not provide scientific proof but only anecdotal evidence! I am a Bernstein follower myself, albeit I am afraid that, after having read this article, I might be "betting" on the wrong horse, as Dr. Bernstein's approach
has not been scientifically proven as complications-free, allowing for his own and allegedely his patients' anecdotal evidence. In contrary, the study I have mentioned above, performed by an accredited European institution accross 31 medical centers in various countries, based on 2800 Type1 (IDDM) patients, purports to provide scientific evidence on the adverse effect of a protein intake in excess of 20% to renal function. I have no access to the full details of the studies undertaken, regarding levels of glycaemic controls and hypertension of the subjects, but the authors are quite clear about excluding these two
influential factors on renal function for IDDM patients in their study on the effects of the nutritional intake. After all, they are explicit about the adverse effect of poor glycaemic control and hypertension on renal function for Type 1s.
As we can all appreciate, this article's clear cut view is that we are all jumping on a big leap of faith and I dread to think what the ramifications of such an exercise might be for all of us -Type 1 followers of Bernstein. Dr. Bernstein offers a single case of an individual who managed to improve his glycose control through a particular diet and hence reversed the adverse effects of diabetes; this does not prove that his own renal function now is standing at a better level than it would have been had he not followed his high-protein nutritional doctrine in favor of, let's say, the Zone diet but still managed to maintain an adequate glycose control; "adequate" glycose control is not the sole privilege of extremely low-carb diets, as measured by patients' HB1a. This could be only ratified by extensive medical research and rigorous statistical analysis accross a statistical sample of patients and not on just a single case. Having said that, there are a variety of helpful insights on Type 1 diabetes management included in his book that urge me to strongly recommend it to anyone with Type 1 diabetes. My questionmarks arise on the diet part, which might have not affected Dr. Bernstein kidneys in terms of an explicit onset of albuminuria but we don't see anywhere in his book data about his own or his patients' GFR (Glomerular Filtration rate) -a predictor of forthcoming micoalbuminuria for Type 1s- before and after this diet, as well as its rate of change over the 40+ years.
Still on the leap of faith myself, but worried