Diets that are high in protein, like the Dukan diet, may be harmful to the health because they can directly affect the kidneys, a recent study finds.
Researchers involved in the study believe that high-protein diets increase the long-term risk of developing kidney stones. This may be the result of reducing the body's levels of urinary citrate which prevents the crystallization of calcium salt. Eating too much protein also reduces urinary pH and increases the level of calcium in the urine.
Scientists at the University of Granada conducted experiments employing rats as a means to assess the effects of a high protein diet. In their experiment, they fed ten rats a high protein diet made up of 45 percent protein. They also fed ten other rats that were part of a control group, a normal diet. During the experiment, rats that were fed high protein diet lost ten percent of their body fat weight. On the other hand, rats that were part of the control group did not show any reduction in their cholesterol levels.
Dr. Virginia Aparicio, one of the authors of the study, from the University of Granada Department of Physiology, said: "Eating large amounts of fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of kidney stones forming - probably due to their high potassium and magnesium content, which compensates for the acidity of the high-protein diet." She also stressed that the negative effects of a high-protein diet typically depends on the presence of other nutrients in the body, according to Canal.
