Risk of Kidney Stones and Bone Loss from Low-Carbohydrate, High-Protein Diets

Risk of Kidney Stones and Bone Loss from Low-Carbohydrate, High-Protein Diets

Article by James Parker

Popular low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets may result in rapid weight loss, they also pose serious health problems, including an increase in the risk of kidney stones and a possible higher risk of bone loss. The increased kidney stone risk is due to the levels of acidic content of animal meat and the lack of alkaline foods in the diet.

Researchers reported that acid excretion which is responsible for the acid load in the blood increased as much as 90 percent while subjects were on diets that severely restricted carbohydrates. Levels of urinary citrate, which inhibits kidney stones, fell by almost 25 percent in the group during the study.

When the amount of carbohydrates is restricted, one goes into a state called ketoacidosis i.e. accumulation of ketone bodies in the blood and increased blood acidity. Our body needs a certain source of energy and a quick source is carbohydrates, which are readily available. When you restrict carbohydrates the body then turns to other sources, one of which is fat. Ketone bodies are formed when the body is forced to burn fat for energy which may result in a state of ketoacidosis.

Urinary citrate levels fell from 763 milligrams per day to 449 mg per day during intake of the severely carbohydrate-restricted diet, researchers reported. Subject readings improved to 581 mg per day during intake of the moderately carbohydrate-restricted diet. The researchers also reported that net acid excretion rose from baseline levels of 61 milliequivalents per day to 116 mEq per day during the severely carbohydrate-restricted diet phase. Levels were112 mEq per day when the group switched to a moderately carbohydrate-restricted diet. Chronic acid load suppresses the function of osteoblasts, bone-forming cells, and stimulates the function of osteoclasts, a cell associated with bone resorption.

This type of diet increases the ability to develop kidney stones. On the basis of this study alone, there was an increased risk of developing kidney stones and a possible increase in the risk of bone loss. It’s known that osteoporosis is a major issue as the population ages and if people eat this kind of diet on a long-term basis, it’s unknown what the implications would be for their bones. Researchers are now studying the effects of this protein- and fat-heavy diet on the bones and are developing methods to counteract the higher risk of kidney stones.

For more details on Kidney Stones visit Uriflow.com

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