Cutting Red Meat Spares Diabetic Kidneys

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Cutting Red Meat Spares Diabetic Kidneys

By Jeremy Appleton, ND, CNS

Healthnotes Newswire (July 6, 2006)—Removing red meat from the diet

could save the kidneys of people with diabetes. New research shows

that eating chicken instead of red meat, or switching to a low-

protein vegetarian diet, improves kidney function in people with

type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes. It also favorably alters the balance

of fats in the blood, reducing heart disease risk.

 

People with diabetes face many complications, some of them life-

threatening. One of the most common and deadly complications of type

2 diabetes is diabetic nephropathy—a form of kidney disease that, if

allowed to progress, can put a diabetic on the short list for a

transplant.

 

" Diabetic nephropathy develops in about 40% of patients with

diabetes, " said Jorge L. Gross, MD, a Brazilian endocrinologist who

designed and led the study. " It is the leading cause of chronic

kidney disease in patients starting the transplant process. "

 

Each kidney houses a complex system of nephrons, microscopic units

that filter the blood and form urine. In diabetic nephropathy, these

filtration units become damaged and allow more of the blood protein

albumin into the urine. As damage to the kidneys gets worse, the

amount of albumin in the urine also increases, giving a fair

indication of the progress of the disease.

 

In Dr. Gross's study, 17 people with type 2 diabetes and large

amounts of albumin in their urine followed each of three diets, with

intervals between, in random order. The diets were a usual diet,

which included red meat; a chicken diet, in which all meat in the

usual diet was replaced with dark chicken meat (skinless leg

quarter); and a low-protein diet, which was vegetarian (vegetable

protein only) with at least a 50% reduction of their usual protein

intake. Each diet was followed for four weeks with a four-week

interval in between, during which time the people ate their usual

diet.

 

When following the chicken diet and low-protein diet, the people had

significantly less albumin in the urine and a significantly improved

balance of fats in the blood.

 

" Withdrawal of red meat from the diet, either by replacing it with

chicken or by following a vegetarian low-protein diet, has a clear

beneficial effect on kidney function in people with diabetic

nephropathy, " concluded Dr. Gross. " This is a relatively simple

dietary modification, but it could have a significant effect beyond

the conventional treatment. "

 

(Am J Clin Nutr 2006;83:1032–8)

 

Jeremy Appleton, ND, CNS, is a licensed naturopathic physician,

certified nutrition specialist, and published author. Dr. Appleton

was the Nutrition Department Chair at the National College of

Naturopathic Medicine, has served on the faculty at Bastyr

University of Natural Health Sciences, and is a former Healthnotes

Senior Science Editor and a founding contributor to Healthnotes

Newswire. He has worked extensively in scientific and regulatory

affairs in the supplement industry and is now a consultant through

his company Praxis Natural Products Consulting and Wellness Services.