PROTEIN: How much is okay, especially for renal patients; let's get protein to protect lifespan straight.
Protein. Much of our bodies are made up of it.
Proteins = workhorses of our bodies.
Protein that is robust in our diet, is now linked to longer life spans. Even in older renal patients.
Let’s get this all straight.
Proteins make up about 42% of the dry weight of our bodies.
Protein collagen—which holds our skin, tendons, muscles, and bones together—makes up about a 1/4 of the body's total protein.
All of our cells and even blood are packed with protein molecules.
This watercolor painting above by David S. Goodsell shows part of a red blood cell, at the bottom left, filled with hemoglobin molecules. The upper half of the painting shows blood serum, containing yellow, Y-shaped antibodies and other proteins. In purple, proteins poke through the blood cell's membrane.
But for years the party line in allopathic medicine and nutritional interventions, is that the kidneys do not like the nitrogen “ash” of protein.
"Nitrogen ash of protein" refers to the percentage of nitrogen present in a protein, which is typically around 16%, meaning that for every gram of protein, approximately 0.16 grams is nitrogen.
For years we thought - nitrogen can be bad for kidneys:
Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
A small amount of urea nitrogen in the blood is normal, but too much can indicate that the kidneys aren't filtering it properly.
Urea nitrogen is a waste product produced when the body breaks down protein, and healthy kidneys remove it from the blood.
Unhealthy kidneys, we have classically thought, can’t remove urea nitrogen, and thus “bang” renal filtering function.
Nitrogen emissions
A 2019 study of over 143,000 people in the Netherlands had found that elevated levels of nitrogen may pose a risk to kidneys
We have taught renal patients that nitrogen worsens as filtering function worsens, so according to stage of kidney disease, renal patients have been consistently recommended to eat less protein.
We are all told that we all feel better on more protein, but it’s harsh on kidney health.
Well, wait on holy minute.
Has our prayer book on protein and kidney health have the wrong mantra all this time?