Protein

[Fr Pat]

     A topic that sometimes comes up here is whether kidney donors ought to somewhat restrict their intake of animal protein, since it is said that it can be hard for the remaining kidney to handle the byproducts. It appears that some hospitals have made the suggestion, but most have not mentioned it. There can be some confusion between the diet recomendations for someone suffering from kidney disease and the diet recomendations for folks with a healthy kidney who want to keep it healthy. There does not seem to be a generally accepted recomendation for kidney donors.
    Cristy recently sent links to some articles about protein and the kidneys to the "Living Donor Listserv" run by the National Kidney Foundation. Here is the link to one that I found to be informative for me. Although it deals primarily with studies of animals it does suggest applications to patients with kidney disease. It does not directly address the question of healthy kidney donors. Some of the language is a bit too technical, but I found it helpful in understanding how eating animal protein influences the kidney directly or indirectly (and distinguises between animal and vegetible protein.) Anyway, I pass it along as it may be of interest.
      Fr. Pat
http://www.uptodate.com/contents/protein-restriction-and-progression-of-chronic-kidney-disease

[kdub]

Thank you so much!  I have been looking for information like this!

[kdub]

OK, darn it... Looks like you need a subscription.  Can anyone post the text here, or a synopsis of the study outcome?  Thanks!

_kdub

[Fr Pat]

Dear "kdub",
     When I click the link I get a 5 paragraph summary of the article, with subscription needed to read more. Do you get that 5 paragraph summary when you click the link?
      Fr. Pat

[kdub]

Pat,

I can see the summary, I was just hoping to read the entire article.  Thanks!

[dave]

On this topic, my wife is a nephrologist and says that living kidney donors can generally eat a normal protein diet.  I happen to enjoy chocolate protein bars (10g) as a snack, and she says those are fine too (1 a day).  On the other hand, donors should avoid the more hard-core protein shakes and supplements used by body builders.  I recently went through the donor screening process, and the nephrologist at the transplant center said exactly the same thing - normal protein diet OK, body building shakes not OK.  Of course, standard caveats apply - check with your doctor if unsure, especially if you've been diagnosed with proteinuria.

Planning to donate a kidney to my Dad on June 13.

[Orchidlady]

I think the real key, as been commented on, is to check with your own physician who can give you firm guidelines based on your own unique situation and health.  We are all different, with different health issues that may or may not be related to donation. We encompass a wide range of ages and lifestyles.

Protein is not a demon, and is a necessary part of a sensible diet. But it is important to medically understand how it affects your particular situation. Even my husband, who has the transplant, has permission to use protein powder - but only in conjunction with his workouts and half a serving, not a full one. That said, he religiously monitors his food intake and macros, so that, even with the protein powder, he keeps exactly within the guidelines given to him for his maximum daily/meal mg of protein - and believe me, it is not that low of a guideline! If his monthly numbers were different, if he were sedentary, or any one of a host of other "ifs",   I imagine that he may not have been given permission at all to use it.

Check with your own physician, who should have your medical history and bloodwork to review, and proceed accordingly. Here's to the health of all donors and recipients!