Scientists from the University of Cologne found that reducing the amount of sugar and increasing the amount of fat in the diet can improve kidney function in people with polycystic disease. The research was published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.
66 patients participated in the three-month study. They were divided into three groups: the first followed the ketogenic diet, the second fasted for three days (drank only water) once a month, and the third was the control group and received standard dietary recommendations.
The ketogenic diet allowed patients to improve their kidney function, and this was also confirmed by blood tests: while the estimated glomerular filtration rate decreased throughout the study period in the other groups, it increased in the ketogenic diet group. In addition, while the patients in this group and the water fasting group managed to lose weight, there was a weight gain in the control group.
The purpose of the ketogenic diet is to increase the production of ketone bodies in the body. To do this, you need to reduce your carbohydrate intake (sugar and baked goods) and increase your fat intake (“healthy” fats are found in avocados and red fish). 95% of patients in the ketogenic group and 85% of patients in the water fasting group reported good tolerance to the new diet.
Overall, dietary changes were as effective as medications given to patients with polycystic kidney disease. However, scientists emphasized that their data are not sufficient to recommend a ketogenic diet to polycystic kidney patients. Further studies including larger numbers of patients are needed.
Hereditary polycystic kidney disease is the cause of 10% of all cases of kidney failure and leads to a gradual decrease in the filtration capacity of the kidneys. There is no cure for this disease, it causes many complications and requires dialysis or kidney transplantation in advanced stages.
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