"The high protein diet that has been used increasingly in recent years to control weight gain and obesity may have deleterious impacts on kidney health in the long term," said Kalantar-Zadeh, director of the Harold Simmons Center of Kidney Disease Research and Epidemiology, and chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, UC Irvine School of Medicine.
Related: What Happens When I Eat Too Much Protein?
Chronic kidney disease is normally diagnosed after three or more months of reduced kidney functioning or structural damage, and it is the waste products that come from protein metabolism within the body that accelerates existing kidney damage.
Although the news isn’t great, the negative effects can be limited and managed through non-medical, nutritional management.
When looking at the results of the study, Kalantar-Zadeh saw evidence that through lowering protein and salt intake, the progression of kidney disease can be slowed, lowering toxins in the blood, and deferring the need to start dialysis.
"There is an exceptionally high cost and burden of maintenance dialysis therapy and kidney transplantation," he said. "Thus, dietary interventions and nutritional therapy may be increasingly chosen as a management strategy for [chronic kidney disease], helping to increase longevity and delaying the need for the onset of dialysis for millions of people worldwide."
Whilst the news isn’t dire, this study gives us reason to consider the long term effects our eggs and chicken.
Related: What’s The Best Diet For Men?
