SCHERR Stefan

The Impact of a Low Carbohydrate Diet on Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

The prevalence of lifestyle diseases like obesity and diabetes increased during the past decades. Simultaneously there was also an increasing intake of dietary carbohydrates while the intake of saturated fats was reduced. Low carbohydrate diets and especially the very low carbohydrate ketogenic diet (VLCKD) have shown great improvements in the treatment of diseases like obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension in many studies. There is little known on the impact of a low carbohydrate diet on renal function. Particularly the use of very low carbohydrate diets in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has not been investigated yet since most studies excluded patients with CKD. The main reason for the exclusion in previously conducted trails researching low carbohydrate diets is that a VLCKD may lead to an increase in protein consumption. According to current CKD guidelines the protein consumption should be restricted in patients with impaired renal function. Nevertheless, the impact of protein restriction on the decrease of renal function remains controversial. Whether a VLCKD might improve renal function via an improvement of risk factors and causes for renal impairment or cause a worsening of renal function due to the increase dietary of protein intake is yet unknown.

The interest in low carbohydrate diets as therapeutic tool in patients with lifestyle diseases is growing strongly. Therefore, our studies aim to:

• Evaluate the safety and feasibility of a VLCKD on patients with chronic kidney disease
• Evaluate the impact of a VLCKD on kidney function
• Investigate whether a VLCKD could become a potential treatment option for CKD
• Provide data for the testing of further hypotheses

Methods and Skills:

Cinical studies