A QUICK & SIMPLE SECRET You Can Use for Kidney Disease!
Proteins, Amino Acids, and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Humans are notorious for not always doing what’s in their own best interest.
For example, while the average healthy, active person needs to ingest a mere 0.36 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight for optimum health, the average American adult consumes more than 100 grams of protein daily, which equates to about 0.67 grams per pound of body weight. This amounts to practically twice the quantity of protein that a healthy, active body actually needs.
There are many things that can impact kidney function let’s review Acute Kidney Failure first.
1. A significant drop in blood flow to the kidneys — Sufficient blood flow to the kidneys is critical to optimal kidney function. If blood flow to the kidney is impaired, the kidney might be permanently damaged or die. This drop in blood flow can be caused by conditions like:
Injury or Heavy blood loss
Use of Nephrotoxic drugs
Dehydration or Burns
Heart disease
Sepsis (body’s inflammatory reaction to an infection, which can bring about organ failure, tissue damage, and death)
Conditions lie Rhabdomyolysis is a condition in which damaged skeletal muscle breaks down rapidly. Many Cross-fitters will no doubt have heard of this “Rhabdo the Clown.”
2. Urinary obstructions — Any sudden blockage that impairs the kidney’s ability to excrete urine can lead to acute failure. When excretion is impaired, it can lead to a build-up of toxins in the body, overloading of the kidneys. Conditions that can cause urinary obstruction include:
Kidney stones
Enlarged prostate
Bladder, Colon, Cervical., or Prostate cancer
3. Diseases of the kidneys — Any condition that leads to clotting within the kidneys’ blood vessels can lead to acute kidney failure, as this reduces blood flow and toxins build-up. Some examples include:
A build-up of cholesterol deposits
An inflammatory condition known as Glomerulonephritis, where the kidney’s ball-shaped structures (glomeruli) become inflamed.
Autoimmune diseases like Scleroderma and Lupus, that affects connective tissues and skin, and its own organs and tissues.
Hemolytic–uremic syndrome is a group of blood disorders characterized by low red blood cells, and low platelets.
Chronic Kidney Disease
CKD can be caused by any of those listed above, along with genetic and heavy metals poisoning.
Excessive protein intake during acute kidney failure or with chronic kidney disease will place additional stress on the kidneys.
Protein is known to produce increased quantities of acid in the bloodstream, which can produce acidosis — a condition in which the kidneys are not able to efficiently eliminate uric acid. While protein is essential for all bodily functions, a healthy balanced diet should focus on getting enough high quality protein and sufficient carbohydrates to ensure protein is not broken down into glucose (wasted) by consuming somewhere between 3:1 and 4:1 carbohydrates to protein. Okinawa's by comparison consume a diet that is 10:1 and they are one of the longest lived people. Longevity and performance can be argued to be on opposite ends of the spectrum — the old adage, “the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long” comes to mind. Ensuring you have sufficient carbohydrates primarily from a variety of fruits, some well cooked vegetables, and simple fuels like honey and juice can go a long way to ensuring protein is used where its needed and not wasted to provide energy.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the most widely-followed advice in the United States, nor in most developed Western countries. The Western obsession with protein-rich, high Polyunsaturated Fat (PUFA) diet are arguably two of the critical factors in the increased incidence of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) among developed countries. We’ll delve deeper into NAFLD in an upcoming post.
Not surprisingly, chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects over 10% of the United States population, and these statistics are steadily increasing.
For the individual who is actively battling or attempting to prevent kidney disease, it is critical to make some dietary alterations and reduce protein quantities in their diet.
It short it boils down to this, more ⬆️protein means more ⬆️ammonia, more ⬆️ ammonia means more ⬆️ urea and uric acid, which means more ⬆️ load on the gut, liver, and kidneys.
However, the remedy is simple enough, but it’s not as straightforward as just cutting protein. Why? Because protein provides the amino acids, you need for the liver to carry out its primary role, detoxifying the body. Cut too much protein, and you won’t have enough amino acids. Any whole food protein is a double-edged sword because it must be broken down into amino acids, and that means between 55–85% of that protein becomes ammonia, and so on. This is where amino acids come in.
As mentioned previously, our bodies need certain amino acids and B vitamins for the liver to perform its critical process of detoxification. The trick is to ingest the “right” amino acids without adding unnecessary protein to the diet, to nourish the liver properly while reducing a load of uric acid on the kidneys. But how do we know which amino acids are the “right” ones for the job?
One study using laboratory rats, supported by the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Kidney Control of Homeostasis (Kidney.CH) and funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, found evidence that increased consumption of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) impaired the progression of Chronic Kidney Disease.
BCAAs consist of three amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Leucine contributes to the process of hemoglobin formation and assists with the synthesis of muscle protein. Isoleucine helps regulate and normalize blood glucose levels and contributes to energy production in the body. While valine is the least studied of the three BCAAs, it is thought to encourage muscle growth and tissue repair.
BCAAs Provide Protein (amino acids) without Uric Acid Buildup
As opposed to other amino acid formulas, supplementation with BCAAs successfully prevents the buildup of excess uric acid, averting acidosis, and hindering kidney degeneration and chronic kidney disease progression. For patients with Chronic Kidney Disease, BCAA supplementation or supplements containing adequate amounts of BCAA’s and other useful amino acids may be the ideal solution to provide the body with sufficient amino acids without the high production of ammonia. This can help support and maintain healthy liver function and adequately nourish the musculoskeletal system, brain, and nervous system.
So, whether you are dealing with acute or chronic kidney issues, one of the simplest ways to lower the ammonia ⬇️, urea ⬇️, and uric acid ⬇️ is to supplement with high-quality amino acids that support your health goals.
References
K Kalantar-Zadeh, D Fouque, Nutritional Management of Chronic Kidney Disease, N. Engl. J. Med 2017 Nov 02;377(18)1765–1776.
Goraya N1, Wesson DE., Does correction of metabolic acidosis slow chronic kidney disease progression? Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens. 2013 Mar;22(2):193–7.
Muralidharan Pillai, S., Verrey, F. The Effect Of Dietary Amino Acids On Chronic Kidney Disease Progression in Rats. The FASEB Journal, April 2017, 1530–6860.
Troidle L, The chronic kidney disease patient in the acute hospital environment. Adv Chronic Kidney Dis. 2014 Jul;21(4):355–9. doi: 10.1053/j.ackd.2014.05.004.