Kidney stones and Kidney failure

[Guest guest]

Introduction

There are many conditions in Western industrialised societies today that

were unheard of, or at least very rare, just a century ago. The same conditions

are still unheard of in primitive peoples who do not have the 'benefits' of

our knowledge. There is a very good reason for this: They eat what Nature

intended; we don't.

 

The diseases caused by our incorrect and unnatural diets are those featured

on these pages.

 

 

__

 

Kidney stones and Kidney failure

_http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html_

(http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html)

 

Dietary causes:

Kidney stones: Oxalate-rich foods such as spinach, rhubarb, beets,

strawberries, wheat bran, nuts and nut butters.

Kidney failure: High-carb, low-fat 'healthy' diet. Cereals.

Kidney stones

It is a common belief that both uric acid and calcium oxalate stones are

more likely to form in the kidneys on a high-protein, low-carb diet than on a

higher-carbohydrate diet with more fruit and vegetables. That belief is not

borne out by the evidence.

Nearly thirty years ago, kidney stones were shown to be associated with high

intake of refined carbohydrates._[1]_

(http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_edn1) So one has to wonder why

the National Institute of Diabetes

and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the United States National Institutes of

Health, is surprised that: 'the number of people in the United States with

kidney stones has been increasing over the past 20 years.'_[2]_

(http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_edn2) What is really worrying

is that they

begin that quote with 'For unknown reasons'. They also note that kidney stones

occur more frequently in men; Europeans are more prone to develop kidney

stones than Africans; kidney stones strike most typically between the ages of

20

and 40; and once a person gets more than one stone, others are likely to

develop.

And what change has been made to peoples' eating habits in the past twenty

years? 'Healthy eating' was introduced. And who are most likely to follow this

message? The 20-40s.

They continue, 'People who form calcium stones used to be told to avoid

dairy products and other foods with high calcium content. But recent studies

have

shown that foods high in calcium, including dairy foods, help prevent

calcium stones. Taking calcium in pill form, however, may increase the risk of

developing stones. . . . You may be told to avoid food with added vitamin D and

certain types of antacids that have a calcium base. If you have very acidic

urine, you may need to eat less meat, fish, and poultry. These foods increase

the amount of acid in the urine'.

So, if you have kidney stones, and if you form calcium stones and if you

have very acidic urine you may need to eat less meat. But drinking lots of

water

will reduce the acidity, this diet is known to reduce the need for antacids,

and we don't need calcium supplements as we are eating enough.

So where does the problem lie?

You may be interested to know that the National Kidney Foundation,

discussing oxalate stones, says 'The foods with a high content of oxalate are

spinach,

rhubarb, beets, strawberries, wheat bran, nuts and nut butter'._[3]_

(http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_edn3) They don't mention meat

at

all.

The evidence all suggests that the way to avoid kidney and gall bladder

diseases is to eat a diet composed mainly of animal protein and fat.

Kidney failure

Technically termed Renal Nephropathy, kidney disease is an inevitable result

of the chronically uncontrolled blood glucose and chronic high insulin

levels found with Type-2 diabetes. Yet it is one of the most

frequently-repeated

criticisms of low-carbohydrate, higher protein diets is that they will

allegedly lead to kidney failure, despite many studies which have shown such a

claim

to be completely false._[4]_

(http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_edn4) _[5]_

(http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_edn5) _[6]_

(http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_edn6) _[7]_

(http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_edn7)

The long-running Nurses' Health Study, for example, showed that a high

protein intake was not associated with renal function decline in women whose

kidneys were healthy at the start of the study. However, high total protein

intake, particularly high intake of non-dairy animal protein, did show a

borderline

significant relationship with declining kidney function in women whose

kidneys were not healthy at the beginning of the study._[8]_

(http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_edn8)

Protein metabolism results in the production of urea, a waste product which

must be filtered through the kidneys. While such increases pose no threat to

healthy kidneys, damaged kidneys may not be able to safely process increased

amounts of urea. Critics of low carbohydrate diets, however, seek to convince

those ignorant of the above facts that high protein intakes will damage

healthy kidneys.

There is actually no reason for people with impaired kidney function to

resign themselves to a life of low protein, high carbohydrate fare, and the

consequent fatigue, muscle loss, and immune impairment. Californian researchers

hypothesized that a diet with unrestricted protein intake, but low in

carbohydrates and iron might reduce free radical and glycative damage in

compromised

kidneys._[9]_ (http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_edn9) It's no

secret that carbohydrates elevate blood sugar levels, which in turn increases

glycative activity in the body; and that excess iron has been implicated as a

potent free-radical promoter. So the researchers placed patients with diabetic

kidney damage on a diet in which chicken and fish, which are low in iron,

were substituted for red meat, intakes of iron-binding foods, such as dairy and

eggs, were increased and total carbohydrate intake was halved. The

composition of the trial diet was 25-30% protein, 30% fat, 35% carbohydrate,

and 5-10%

alcohol. A control group of similarly kidney-impaired diabetics consumed the

low-protein diet recommended for kidney patients consisting of 10% protein,

25% fat, and 65% carbohydrate, which is also the ratio recommended for the

general population. The results of the trial were impressive: 39% of the

low-protein, high-carb control group patients either died or deteriorated to a

point necessitating kidney transplant; in the unrestricted protein group, the

corresponding figure was 20%.

Evidence suggests that people with signs of kidney dysfunction should opt

for iron-poor sources of protein such as poultry, fish, pork, eggs, and

cultured dairy products together with a low carbohydrate intake, but not so low

as

to cause ketosis.

There is little doubt that a 'healthy' high-carb diet and subsequent high

blood insulin can contribute to diabetic patients' deteriorating kidney

function; and that insulin treatment in type-2 diabetes patients may cause

further

injury to the kidney. A

low-carb, high-fat diet, with a moderate protein intake may actually prevent

renal failure in type-2 diabetics._[10]_

(http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_edn10)

References

 

 

_[1]_ (http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_ednref1) . Thom JA, et

al. The Influence of Refined Carbohydrate on Urinary Calcium Excretion. Br J

Urol 1978; 50:7, 459-464.

 

_[2]_ (http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_ednref2) .

_http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/kidney/pubs/stonadul/stonadul.htm_

(http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/kidney/pubs/stonadul/stonadul.htm) , accessed

21 August 2003.

 

_[3]_ (http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_ednref3) .

_http://www.kidney.org/general/atoz/content/kstones.html_

(http://www.kidney.org/general/atoz/content/kstones.html) , accessed 21 August

2003.

 

_[4]_ (http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_ednref4) . Poortmans JR,

Dellalieux O. Do regular high protein diets have potential health risks on

kidney function in athletes? Int J Sport Nutr Exercise Metab 2000; 10: 28-38.

 

_[5]_ (http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_ednref5) . Blum M, et

al. Protein Intake and Kidney Function in Humans: Its Effect on Normal Aging.

Arch Int Med 1989; 149: 211-212.

 

_[6]_ (http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_ednref6) . Skov AR, et

al. Changes in renal function during weight loss induced by high vs

low-protein low-fat diets in overweight subjects. Int J Obes 1999; 23:

1170-1177.

 

_[7]_ (http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_ednref7) . Wrone EM, et

al. Association of dietary protein intake and microalbuminuria in healthy

adults: Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Am J Kidney Dis

2003; 41: 580-587

 

_[8]_ (http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_ednref8) . Knight EL, et

al. The Impact of Protein Intake on Renal Function Decline in Women with

Normal Renal Function or Mild Renal Insufficiency. Ann Int Med 2003; 138:

460-467.

 

_[9]_ (http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_ednref9) . Facchini FS,

Saylor KL. A Low-Iron-Available, Polyphenol-Enriched, Carbohydrate-Restricted

Diet to Slow Progression of Diabetic Nephropathy. Diabetes 2003; 52:

1204-1209.

 

_[10]_ (http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/kidney.html#_ednref10) . Nielsen JV,

Westerlund P, Bygren PG. A low-carbohydrate diet may prevent end-stage renal

failure in type 2 diabetes. A case report. Nutr Metab 2006; 3: 23