The Effects of High-Protein Diets on Kidney Health and Longevity

Although high-protein diets continue to be popular for weight loss and type 2 diabetes, evidence suggests that worsening renal function may occur in individuals with—and perhaps without—impaired kidney function. High dietary protein intake can cause intraglomerular hypertension, which may result in kidney hyperfiltration, glomerular injury, and proteinuria. It is possible that long-term high protein intake may lead to de novo CKD. The quality of dietary protein may also play a role in kidney health. Compared with protein from plant sources, animal protein has been associated with an increased risk of ESKD in several observational studies, including the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Potential mediators of kidney damage from animal protein include dietary acid load, phosphate content, gut microbiome dysbiosis, and resultant inflammation. In light of such findings, adopting current dietary approaches that include a high proportion of protein for weight reduction or glycemic control should be considered with care in those at high risk for kidney disease. Given the possibility of residual confounding within some observational studies and the conflicting evidence from previous trials, long-term studies including those with large sample sizes are warranted to better ascertain the effects of high protein intake on kidney health.

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Efficacy and consequences of very-high-protein diets for athletes and exercisers

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1017/s0029665111000024 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 70 (2) ◽

pp. 205-214 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Kevin D. Tipton

Keyword(s):

Protein Intake ◽

High Protein Diet ◽

Kidney Damage ◽

High Protein ◽

Absolute Amount ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

High Protein Intake ◽

High Protein Diets ◽

Protein Diets ◽

Very High

Athletes and exercisers have utilised high-protein diets for centuries. The objective of this review is to examine the evidence for the efficacy and potential dangers of high-protein diets. One important factor to consider is the definition of a ‘high-protein diet’. There are several ways to consider protein content of a diet. The composition of the diet can be determined as the absolute amount of the protein (or other nutrient of interest), the % of total energy (calories) as protein and the amount of protein ingested per kg of body weight. Many athletes consume very high amounts of protein. High-protein diets most often are associated with muscle hypertrophy and strength, but now also are advocated for weight loss and recovery from intense exercise or injuries. Prolonged intake of a large amount of protein has been associated with potential dangers, such as bone mineral loss and kidney damage. In otherwise healthy individuals, there is little evidence that high protein intake is dangerous. However, kidney damage may be an issue for individuals with already existing kidney dysfunction. Increased protein intake necessarily means that overall energy intake must increase or consumption of either carbohydrate or fat must decrease. In conclusion, high protein intake may be appropriate for some athletes, but there are potential negative consequences that must be carefully considered before adopting such a diet. In particular, care must be taken to ensure that there is sufficient intake of other nutrients to support the training load.

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High dietary protein decreases fat deposition induced by high-fat and high-sucrose diet in rats

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s000711451500238x ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 114 (8) ◽

pp. 1132-1142 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Catherine Chaumontet ◽

Patrick C. Even ◽

Jessica Schwarz ◽

Angélique Simonin-Foucault ◽

Julien Piedcoq ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protein Intake ◽

Fatty Acid Synthase ◽

Fat Deposition ◽

High Protein ◽

Oral Glucose ◽

High Fat ◽

High Protein Intake ◽

High Protein Diets ◽

Protein Diets ◽

High Sucrose

AbstractHigh-protein diets are known to reduce adiposity in the context of high carbohydrate and Western diets. However, few studies have investigated the specific high-protein effect on lipogenesis induced by a high-sucrose (HS) diet or fat deposition induced by high-fat feeding. We aimed to determine the effects of high protein intake on the development of fat deposition and partitioning in response to high-fat and/or HS feeding. A total of thirty adult male Wistar rats were assigned to one of the six dietary regimens with low and high protein, sucrose and fat contents for 5 weeks. Body weight (BW) and food intake were measured weekly. Oral glucose tolerance tests and meal tolerance tests were performed after 4th and 5th weeks of the regimen, respectively. At the end of the study, the rats were killed 2 h after ingestion of a calibrated meal. Blood, tissues and organs were collected for analysis of circulating metabolites and hormones, body composition and mRNA expression in the liver and adipose tissues. No changes were observed in cumulative energy intake and BW gain after 5 weeks of dietary treatment. However, high-protein diets reduced by 20 % the adiposity gain induced by HS and high-sucrose high-fat (HS-HF) diets. Gene expression and transcriptomic analysis suggested that high protein intake reduced liver capacity for lipogenesis by reducing mRNA expressions of fatty acid synthase (fasn), acetyl-CoA carboxylase a and b (Acaca and Acacb) and sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1c (Srebf-1c). Moreover, ketogenesis, as indicated by plasma β-hydroxybutyrate levels, was higher in HS-HF-fed mice that were also fed high protein levels. Taken together, these results suggest that high-protein diets may reduce adiposity by inhibiting lipogenesis and stimulating ketogenesis in the liver.

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Dietary protein intake is an independent and dose‐dependent regulator of hepatic anabolism in rats fed high protein diets

The FASEB Journal ◽

10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.312.1 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 22 (S1) ◽

Author(s):

Laure Chevalier ◽

Cécile Bos ◽

Dalila Azzout‐Marniche ◽

Gilles Fromentin ◽

Daniel Tomé ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dietary Protein ◽

Protein Intake ◽

High Protein ◽

Dietary Protein Intake ◽

High Protein Diets ◽

Protein Diets ◽

Dose Dependent

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Inhibitory effect of high protein intake on nephrocalcinogenesis in female rats

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1079/bjn19920026 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 67 (2) ◽

pp. 223-233 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

J. G. H. Sterck ◽

J. Ritskes-Hoitinga ◽

A. C. Beynen

Keyword(s):

Protein Intake ◽

Inhibitory Effect ◽

High Protein ◽

Female Rats ◽

High Protein Intake ◽

Low Protein ◽

Background Diet ◽

Calcium Magnesium ◽

High Protein Diets ◽

Protein Diets

Increased intakes of protein have been shown to reduce kidney calcification (nephrocalcinosis) in female rats. Two questions were addressed in the present study. First, can protein-induced inhibition of nephrocalcinosis be demonstrated when the diets used are balanced for calcium, magnesium and phosphorus in the added protein? Second, can the protein effect be explained by the frequently observed magnesiuria after giving high-protein diets? Nephrocalcinosis was induced in female rats by giving purified diets containing 151 g casein/kg and either an increased concentration of P (6 v. 2 g/kg) or a decreased concentration of Mg (0·1 v. 0·4 g/kg). To these diets 151 g ovalbumin/kg was added at the expense of glucose, and the diets were balanced for Ca, Mg and P in ovalbumin. The diets were given for 29 d. In rats fed on the diet containing 151 g protein/kg, an increased intake of P or a decreased intake of Mg caused nephrocalcinosis as measured chemically by analysis of kidney Ca as well as histologically by scoring kidney sections stained according to Von Kossa's method. The addition of ovalbumin to the diet prevented the induction of nephrocalcinosis. High P intake and low Mg intake with the low-protein diets induced enhanced loss of albumin in urine, suggesting that nephrocalcinosis caused kidney damage. Increased protein intake with a non-calcinogenic diet also caused increased albumin excretion in urine. Irrespective of the composition of the background diet, increased protein intake caused increased urinary excretion of Mg. When all dietary groups were considered, differences in nephrocalcinosis and urinary Mg output were not proportionally related.Nephrocalcinosis: Phosphorus: Magnesium: Protein: Rat

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Dietary protein paradox: decrease of amino acid availability induced by high-protein diets

AJP Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpgi.1993.264.6.g1057 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 264 (6) ◽

pp. G1057-G1065 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

C. Moundras ◽

C. Remesy ◽

C. Demigne

Keyword(s):

Amino Acids ◽

Amino Acid ◽

Dietary Protein ◽

High Protein ◽

Glutamine Metabolism ◽

Metabolic Adaptation ◽

Casein Diet ◽

Serine Dehydratase ◽

High Protein Diets ◽

Protein Diets

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of changes in dietary protein level on overall availability of amino acids for tissues. For this purpose, rats were adapted to diets containing various concentrations of casein (7.5, 15, 30, and 60%) and were sampled either during the postprandial or postabsorptive period. In rats fed the protein-deficient diet, glucogenic amino acids (except threonine) tended to accumulate in plasma, liver, and muscles. In rats fed high-protein diets, the hepatic balance of glucogenic amino acids was markedly enhanced and their liver concentrations were consistently depressed. This response was the result of a marked induction of amino acid catabolism (a 45-fold increase of liver threonine-serine dehydratase activity was observed with the 60% casein diet). The muscle concentrations of threonine, serine, and glycine underwent changes parallel to plasma and liver concentrations, and a significant reduction of glutamine was observed. During the postabsorptive period, adaptation to high-protein diets resulted in a sustained catabolism of most glucogenic amino acids, which accentuated the drop in their concentrations (especially threonine) in all the compartments studied. The time course of metabolic adaptation from a 60 to a 15% casein diet has also been investigated. Adaptation of alanine and glutamine metabolism was rapid, whereas that of threonine, serine, and glycine was delayed and required 7-11 days. This was paralleled by a relatively slow decay of liver threonine-serine dehydratase (T-SDH) activity in contrast to the rapid adaptation of pyruvate kinase activity after refeeding a high-carbohydrate diet.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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Influence of high-protein diets on brain phospholipid, ganglioside and monogalactosyl glycolipid content previously altered by long-term low-protein and ethanol administration.

Journal of Studies on Alcohol ◽

10.15288/jsa.1988.49.369 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 49 (4) ◽

pp. 369-374 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S R Vrbaski ◽

G T Petrović ◽

V I Ristić ◽

M S Ristić

Keyword(s):

High Protein ◽

Ethanol Administration ◽

Low Protein ◽

Brain Phospholipid ◽

High Protein Diets ◽

Protein Diets

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Impact of Fermentable Protein, by Feeding High Protein Diets, on Microbial Composition, Microbial Catabolic Activity, Gut Health and beyond in Pigs

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms8111735 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 1735

Author(s):

Hanlu Zhang ◽

Nikkie van der Wielen ◽

Bart van der Hee ◽

Junjun Wang ◽

Wouter Hendriks ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Dietary Protein ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

High Protein ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Protein Levels ◽

Catabolic Activity ◽

High Protein Diets ◽

Protein Diets

In pigs, high protein diets have been related to post-weaning diarrhoea, which may be due to the production of protein fermentation metabolites that were shown to have harmful effects on the intestinal epithelium in vitro. In this review, we discussed in vivo effects of protein fermentation on the microbial composition and their protein catabolic activity as well as gut and overall health. The reviewed studies applied different dietary protein levels, which was assumed to result in contrasting fermentable protein levels. A general shift to N-utilisation microbial community including potential pathogens was observed, although microbial richness and diversity were not altered in the majority of the studies. Increasing dietary protein levels resulted in higher protein catabolic activity as evidenced by increased concentration of several protein fermentation metabolites like biogenic amines in the digesta of pigs. Moreover, changes in intestinal morphology, permeability and pro-inflammatory cytokine concentrations were observed and diarrhoea incidence was increased. Nevertheless, higher body weight and average daily gain were observed upon increasing dietary protein level. In conclusion, increasing dietary protein resulted in higher proteolytic fermentation, altered microbial community and intestinal physiology. Supplementing diets with fermentable carbohydrates could be a promising strategy to counteract these effects and should be further investigated.

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