What Are The Complications Of Nephrotic Syndrome
When you have nephrotic syndrome, an important protein called albumin leaks into your urine instead of getting filtered by the kidneys as it should. Albumin helps your body get rid of extra fluid. When you do not have enough albumin in your blood, fluid can build up in your body, causing swelling in your legs, feet and ankles. You can also have other problems such as blood clots and infections.
With nephrotic syndrome, cholesterol also builds up in your blood. When you have too much cholesterol in your blood, clumps form inside your veins and arteries, which can cause a heart attack or a stroke.
Nephrotic syndrome can also cause other serious health problems such as:
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How High Protein Diets Affect The Kidneys
Protein comes from the Greek word proteos, which means the first or prime importance, and there is no debating the important role that protein plays in our health and body composition transformations.
We hear from many sources that we should be consuming more protein to gain muscle and even aid in weight loss, but how much do we really need? Does eating too much protein cause kidney damage?
These are all very important questions and in this article well dive into the latest research on this topic.
Easy Ways To Prevent Kidney Stones
Did you know that one in ten people will have a kidney stone over the course of a lifetime? Recent studies have shown that kidney stone rates are on the rise across the country. Those in the know believe that some major misconceptions may be the culprit.
The National Kidney Foundation has teamed up with Dr. Allan Jhagroo, a kidney stone specialist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, to help you stay stone-free by debunking some of the major kidney stone myths and misconceptions.
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Does The Type Of Kidney Stone I Had Affect Food Choices I Should Make
Yes. If you have already had kidney stones, ask your health care professional which type of kidney stone you had. Based on the type of kidney stone you had, you may be able to prevent kidney stones by making changes in how much sodium, animal protein, calcium, or oxalate is in the food you eat.
You may need to change what you eat and drink for these types of kidney stones:
A dietitian who specializes in kidney stone prevention can help you plan meals to prevent kidney stones. Find a dietitian who can help you.
Does A Vegan Diet Cause Kidney Stones
There is ample medical evidence to assure you, and Liam, that maintaining a vegan diet with a few modifications is actually the best plan to avoid a first, or recurrent, kidney stone of any kind.
In studies done over 20 years ago examining the rise in kidney stones requiring therapy, increasing animal protein consumption from meat, fish, and poultry coupled with a decrease in fiber intake, the hallmarks of the Western diet, were to blame. A more recent study looked at the risk of kidney stones with various kinds of animal protein. Beef, fish, and chicken were all judged to raise the risk of forming stones, and limiting these foods was advised. Finally, a study from Europen that included 50,000 subjects found that vegetarians had a lower risk of kidney stones than meat-eaters.
What about the oxalates that Hemsworth indicated where high in plant foods? In a recent review article on the risk of kidney stones and diet as found in vegetarians and vegans, the researchers warned against high intake of animal protein and recommended balanced vegetarian diets.
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WHEN HEALTHY HABITS MAY CAUSE KIDNEY STONES
Consuming too much of the bad stuff such as meat, salt and soft drinks can increase your risk.
But certain fruits and vegetables, too? So, which is the more likely cause of kidney stones?
The most common causes of kidney stones in Singapore are related to insufficient fluid intake, too much salt in the diet and too much protein, said Dr Tan.
Still, it is interesting to note that too much of a good thing can be bad for you.
Here are some examples of healthy habits or intentions that may increase your risk of or exacerbate your kidney stones:
- YOU POP VITAMIN C LIKE CANDY
Too much Vitamin C can be an issue as it combines with calcium to form calcium oxalate a precursor to certain kinds of kidney stones.
Vitamin C in high doses is a problem, said Dr Tan.
And by that, he means doses of more than 500mg per day. In fact, I would rather my patients keep to a maximum of 200mg per day, he said.
- YOU TAKE CALCIUM SUPPLEMENTS
Calcium supplementation in large quantities, and when taken separately from meals, may set you up for kidney stones, according to a study published in the Translational Andrology And Urology journal.
But calcium is necessary for strong bones, and it is lacking in Singaporeans’ diets, said Dr Tan.
Furthermore, although it sounds paradoxical, calcium can also prevent kidney stones.
But if boosting your calcium intake doesnt lower your urine oxalate level, the same programme suggested watching your oxalate intake.
Acid Loads Apart From Protein Raise Urine Calcium
I would be remiss to leave matters as if Fentons meta-analysis were a sufficient guide to this vast literature. Her approach emphasizes the quality of the human trials. Another review more emphasizes the underlying technical problems of assessing net acid base balance. In this work acid base balance was altered by NH4Cl , methionine , egg white , beef , soy protein , deprived of KHCO3 , given KHCO3 , or given NaHCO3 by replacing some of the dietary NaCl and maintaining Na intake constant .
Despite the differing formalisms and even scientific instincts of the investigators who reviewed the topic the overall result is amazingly uniform. For example at about -50 net acid excretion, there would be about 50 mg less urine calcium and at about 200 mEq of extra acid about 300 mg more urine calcium in both studies alike.
Whereas the Fenton points easily fit a linear regression, the larger range of the Lemann review shows the response is not linear but has a curving character. If you look closely at the Fenton points there is indeed a slight sag around 0 meaning that perhaps a curving regression might have a higher multiple R2.
The point of showing all this is obvious: However you review the papers, acid loads increase and alkali loads reduce urine calcium, meaning this is a vigorous phenomenon, not some houseplant that cannot stand up to the weather. It has been found in many laboratories over many decades, in humans shown in these two figures and animals alike.
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Kidney Stone Dietprotein Calculator
Calculating your daily protein requirement is simple! Just enter your weight in lbs below and the Kidney Stone Diet Protein Calculator will handle the rest!
Since food labels show protein in grams, the easiest way to figure out how much MEAT protein to have is by using the equation below. My patients get overwhelmed because we are using grams and kilograms in our equation, but dont worry, I will break it down for you step-by-step.
To calculate how much meat protein is right for you, use this equation:0.8 to 1.0 gm/kg/d.
I will use my weight as an example and then you can plug in yours:My weight is 122 lbs.
After I convert my weight in pounds to kilograms I weigh 55.4 kg.
I got this number by dividing 122 lbs by 2.2
Therefore, if I were to eat on the low end of the equation it would look like this:0.8 x 55.4 = 44.32 grams of protein a day.
If I wanted to eat on the upper end of the equation it would look like this:1.0 x 55.4 = 55.4 grams of protein a day.
Based upon the equation above I can eat anywhere between 44.3 grams 55.4 grams of meat protein per day. If I search how many grams are in 3 ounces of chicken I find this answer:There are about 7 g of protein in 1 ounce of cooked meat. So, for example, 4 ounces of raw boneless skinless chicken breast yields about 3 ounces of cooked chicken or 21 g of protein.
You can see how quickly grams of meat protein add up.
Need help putting all the elements of the kidney stone prevention lifestyle in place?
Does Too Much Whey Protein Cause Side Effects
Whey protein is one of the most popular supplements on the planet.
But despite its many health benefits, theres some controversy surrounding its safety.
Some claim that too much whey protein can damage the kidneys and liver and even cause osteoporosis.
This article provides an evidence-based review of whey proteins safety and side effects.
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Can Diet Alone Treat Kidney Stones
For some people, dietary changes may be enough to prevent kidney stones from occurring.
In other cases, additional treatment may be necessary, including medication to break the stones up or surgery to remove the stones.
If stones become extremely painful, it is best to seek consultation with a doctor or nephrologist so they can recommend the best course of action.
When Is Yes Really Yes
In a way, forever. These data will hold, no doubt indefinitely, as will the negative data concerning protein. Others may find differently among different people, in different places, with different techniques. But those who repeat what Curhan and Taylor did will almost certainly find what they found. If not, will ensue the scientific homologue of disagreement as to simple facts, thus calling for more repeated work that inevitably discloses some final consensus.
But what will inevitably fall is the idea underlying this study, that alkali protect against stones, acids promote stones, and the one can offset the other in other words, the mechanistic vision this work arises from. Given the history of science, these mechanistic visions of how nature does things rarely last but are as it were overlain by revelation presently unthought of.
Even so, while we wait for their inevitable demise, these two formulations have met various tests and remain viable explanations for what we can observe. This makes them useful, still, as generators of new research.
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Fad Diets And Their Effect On Urinary Stone Formation
Antonio Nouvenne1,2, Andrea Ticinesi1, Ilaria Morelli2, Loredana Guida2, Loris Borghi1, Tiziana Meschi1
1 Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Parma, Via A. Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy Internal Medicine and Critical Subacute Care Unit, Parma University Hospital, Parma, Italy
Correspondence to:
Keywords: High-protein diet low-carbohydrate diet vegan diet vegetarian diet Mediterranean diet Dukan diet Atkins diet zone diet nephrolithiasis
Submitted Oct 18, 2013. Accepted for publication Apr 20, 2014.
doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2223-4683.2014.06.01
The importance of diet in nephrolithiasis onset and prevention has been widely recognized in medical literature. Nowadays dietary advice, alongside with adequate fluid intake and pharmacologic therapy, where indicated, is the cornerstone prescription in the medical management of kidney stone disease .
However, the dietary habits of kidney stone formers often do not fit together with the principles of an anti-lithogenic diet , even if a new attention for the quality of diet has risen among the general population in Western countries in the last decades, leading to minor but significant changes in the daily intake of fat, fruit and vegetables . There is also some evidence that dietary habits have changed even in calcium stone formers in the last 25 years .
If You Eat Spinach Every Day You Can Lower Your Cholesterol
Eating spinach every day can actually lower your cholesterol, thanks to its fiber content, according to WebMD. Additionally, Healthline reported that nitric oxide, a result of the nitrates in spinach, keeps blood vessels dilated, which in turn reduces the risk of cholesterol as cholesterol can build up in arteries and cause them to become narrower. Blood doesnt flow as well with high cholesterol and that spells future trouble, including high blood pressure and the risk of heart attack.
The lutein found in spinach also plays a role in preventing high cholesterol. In an animal study published in The Journal of Nutrition, lutein was able to prevent cholesterol from sticking and building up in the arteries. But thats not luteins only role in fighting cholesterol. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, equipping it to battle your bodys inflammation. And, according to Health, high cholesterol causes an inflammatory response in the body. This response makes cholesterol build up even quicker a truly vicious cycle. Eating spinach, and therefore consuming lutein, however fights that inflammation and cholesterol cycle.
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Interaction With Drugs And Medication
Many older people take a regimen of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, often with vitamin and mineral supplements. Protein drinks, like Boost, that are often taken as a meal replacement for weight gain, contain high levels of vitamins and minerals that can add to this mix within the body and cause problems 4. You also shouldnt drink Boost if you take blood thinners such as Coumadin and warfarin. The high amount of vitamin K in a Boost drink can directly affect the efficiency of these medications, warns AgingCare2.
Ways To Prevent Kidney Stone Formation
Finding ways to stop a kidney stone before it can start can save clients a lot of pain and discomfort. Harvard Medical School shares that kidney stone prevention involves:
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Staying hydrated. This helps the kidney by giving it more fluid to dissolve the waste that can lead to a stone. Making some of these beverages citrus-based may further help keep stones from forming.
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Increasing calcium intake. Calcium reduces stone formation by binding to oxalate. This reduces oxalate concentration in the urine, lowering the risk that the oxalate will bind to calcium and lead to a stone.
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Eating low sodium. The more sodium you consume, the higher the calcium in your urine. So, one way to prevent a calcium stone is to watch your sodium intake. Taking this action is also good for your heart.
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Avoiding foods high in oxalate. If you are prone to oxalate stones, reduce or eliminate foods that contain a lot of oxalates. This includes chocolate, tea, nuts, beets, and spinach.
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How To Avoid Kidney Stones
Here are the five ways to help prevent kidney stones:
Drink plenty of water: Drinking extra water dilutes the substances in urine that lead to stones. Strive to drink enough fluids to pass 2 liters of urine a day, which is roughly eight standard 8-ounce cups. It may help to include some citrus beverages, like lemonade and orange juice. The citrate in these beverages helps block stone formation.
Eat calcium rich foods: Dietary calcium binds to oxalate in your intestines and thereby decreases the amount of oxalate that gets absorbed into the bloodstream and then excreted by the kidney. This lowers the concentration of oxalate in the urine, so there is less chance it can bind to urinary calcium. That leads to decreased risk of kidney stones.
Reduce sodium: A high-sodium diet can trigger kidney stones because it increases the amount of calcium in your urine. So, a low-sodium diet is recommended for the stone prone. Current guidelines suggest limiting total daily sodium intake to 2,300 mg. If sodium has contributed to kidney stones in the past, try to reduce your daily intake to 1,500 mg. This will also be good for your blood pressure and heart.
Avoid stone-forming foods: Beets, chocolate, spinach, rhubarb, tea, and most nuts are rich in oxalate, which can contribute to kidney stones. If you suffer from stones, your doctor may advise you to avoid these foods or to consume them in smaller amounts.
How To Prevent Kidney Stones
Drink lots of water. The most important thing to do to prevent kidney stones is to drink plenty of water, which helps flush compounds out of the kidneys before they can start making trouble.
Reduce salt. Excessive sodium intake can also concentrate the urine, making stone formation more likely.
Eat your veggies. A diet high in fruits and vegetables, which raises the pH of the urine, can help prevent kidney stones.
Keep protein intake moderate. High protein diets, which lower the pH of your urine, can make kidney stones more likely. If you are nervous about kidney stones, youll probably want to stick to a moderate protein diet and get at least some of your protein from plants.
Get enough calcium. A low calcium diet can also be a risk factor. This fact surprises a lot of people because kidney stones often contain a lot of calcium, which seems to suggest that too much calcium would be to blame. But its actually the opposite. When your diet is higher in calcium, less of it is absorbed in the digestive tract and less ends up in the urine. The best way to get calcium is by eating a variety of calcium-containing foods throughout the day. Taking your entire dietary allowance of calcium at one time in the form of a supplement, on the other hand, may slightly increase your risk of stones.
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