High protein intake, in particular high intake of non-dairy animal protein, may accelerate decline in kidney function in women with mild kidney problems, US researchers have found.
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Such high protein diets are increasingly popular these days, the most famous being the high-protein, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet, which is said to be followed by celebrities such as Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston. Nutritionists have already expressed concern at such diets, which can also be high in fats and can lead to high levels of cholesterol, reported BBC Online.
Over a period of 11 years, the researchers monitored 1,624 women aged between 42 and 68, of which 489 had a mild kidney problem.
The women were asked about their eating habits and also about other factors which may influence the health of their kidneys, such as age, weight, height, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, alcohol consumption and smoking habits.
The research, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that high protein intake was not associated with renal function decline in women with normal kidney function.
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By GlobalDataHowever, those women who already had a mild kidney problem and who ate a high-protein diet, particularly one high in meat protein, showed some deterioration in kidney function.
“The potential effects of dietary protein consumption on renal function on persons with mild renal insufficiency have important public health implications given the prevalence of high-protein diets,” Eric Knight, who led the research at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, was quoted by BBC Online as saying.
