Vegan Health ArticlesTHE SKINNY ON ATKINS - Kidney "Scarring"
A Vegan Health Article from All-Creatures.org

These vegan health articles are presented to assist you in taking a pro-active part in your own health.

See All-Creatures.org Health Position and Disclaimer

From Michael Greger, M.D.  
http://www.DrGreger.org

Atkins followers also risk kidney damage.[288] Like his advice for pregnant women, Atkins once wrote "The diet is safe for people even if there is a mild kidney malfunction."[289] We now know this to be false.

In a press release entitled "American Kidney Fund Warns About Impact of High-Protein Diets on Kidney Health," Chair of Medical Affairs, Paul W. Crawford, M.D., wrote, "We have long suspected that high-protein weight loss diets could have a negative impact on the kidneys, and now we have research to support our suspicions." Dr. Crawford is worried that the strain put on the kidneys could result in irreversible "scarring in the kidneys."[290]

Three months later, the newest edition of the New Diet Revolution was released in which Dr. Atkins stated: "Too many people believe this untruth [that too much protein is bad for your kidneys] simply because it is repeated so often that even intelligent health professionals assume it must have been reported somewhere. But the fact is that it has never been reported anywhere. I have yet to see someone produce a study for me to review…"[291]

Although evidence that such diets could be risky for one’s kidneys existed years before he made that statement,[292] the definitive study showing just how dangerous his diet could be to a dieter’s kidneys was published a month before Atkins died. The Harvard Nurse’s Study proved that high meat protein intake was associated with an accelerated decline in kidney function in women with mild kidney insufficiency.[293] The problem is that millions of Americans—as many as one in four adults in the United States—seem to already have reduced kidney function, but may not know it, and would potentially be harmed by high meat diets like Atkins.[294] And the "excessive" amount of protein which furthered kidney damage in the women in the Nurses Study is only about half of what one might expect to get on the Atkins Diet.[295]

The American Academy of Family Physicians notes that high animal protein intake is also largely responsible for the high prevalence of kidney stones in the United States. Kidney stones can cause severe pain, urinary obstruction, and kidney damage. Plant protein did not seem to have a harmful effect.[296]

American Kidney Fund’s Dr. Crawford concluded, "Chronic kidney disease is not to be taken lightly, and there is no cure for kidney failure. The only treatments are kidney dialysis and kidney transplantation. This research shows that even in healthy athletes, kidney function was impacted and that ought to send a message to anyone who is on a high-protein weight loss diet."[297]

Go on to Peeing Your Bones Down the Toilet
Return to THE SKINNY ON ATKINS


Return to Vegan Health Articles
Visit Food Hazards in Animal Flesh and By-products

All-Creatures.org Health Position and Disclaimer

We began this archive as a means of assisting our visitors in answering many of their health and diet questions, and in encouraging them to take a pro-active part in their own health. We believe the articles and information contained herein are true, but are not presenting them as advice. We, personally, have found that a whole food vegan diet has helped our own health, and simply wish to share with others the things we have found. Each of us must make our own decisions, for it's our own body. If you have a health problem, see your own physician.