Does a High Protein Diet Plan Cause Kidney Damage?

Following a high protein diet plan can help with hunger, weight reduction, blood sugar control, etc. Therefore, the common query I get... "Doesn't eating a higher Protein Diet cause kidney damage?" The short solution is NO. Let's study a bit. The kidney's in general execute a filtration service for your body. Blood flows throughout the kidney and toxins and metabolism waste products are processed out into the urogenital system for excretion through the bladder. Waste laden blood in, concentrated waste laden urine out... beautiful system.


Throughout this normal filtration, the kidneys must filter out waste but "Keep" beneficial nutrients, blood cells, and serum proteins. Of course, a principal job also involves conserving fluid/water as well. An early sign of kidney damage is microalbuminuria or leakage of the protein called albumin into your urine. This is like a fishing net which has a hole. The fish or albumin slips from the faulty net. Now the myth that a "High Protein Diet Plan" will hurt the kidney comes from the above mentioned basic information. The idea has long been that in case you have a unusually high circulation of protein in the blood, then your kidneys will probably need to work extra hard to carry on.

This is only partially true. The only situation where limiting excessive protein is a good idea however is in patients with SEVERE kidney damage or dialysis. (Less of an issue in dialysis considering that the kidneys have already been very damaged and leak tremendous levels of protein into the urine... a sure sign that the filtration area of the kidney is badly damaged. ) Pursuing the fishing analogy, in case your net ain't ripped, catching more fish isn't a problem.

For the remainder of us without proof of kidney damage, please understand that there isn't any EVIDENCE that following a "High Protein Diet" will in any respect cause damage to the kidneys. The best as I can tell, this urban myth is due to an inappropriate extrapolation from the physiology and pathology issues I discussed above.

What this means is that a high protein diet is one of the best ways to boost your health with no fear of damaging your kidneys. By cutting back on carbohydrates and making sure you take in adequate amounts of protein and fat on a daily basis you can greatly increases your chances for weight loss and energy improvement while decreasing your chances of becoming ill from diabetes, cancer or heart disease.

Nutrition is a hot topic and there are a million "experts" out there. My name is David Francis and as a degree'd nutritionist I can show you the most effective path to achieving your health and wellness goals. To learn more about the amazing power of a high protein diet plan check out the NRG Tribe at http://nrgtribe.com