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To avoid negative health problems such as coronary artery disease, cancer, and kidney failure, people should eat a diet that is low in animal proteins.

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Image Credit: Pixabay. This image has been modified.

Between 1990 and 2010, some of our leading causes of death and disability remained the same. Heart disease was the leading cause of loss of life and health then and remains the leading cause today. Some things got better, like HIV/AIDS, but others got worse, like chronic kidney disease. We saw a doubling in the tens of thousands of deaths and the hundreds of thousands of patients whose kidneys failed completely, requiring kidney transplants or lifelong dialysis.

About one in eight of us now has chronic kidney disease-and most don't even know it: About three-quarters of the millions of people affected are unaware that their kidneys are starting to fail. This is "particularly worrisome given that early identification provides an opportunity to slow the progression and alter the course of disease." So, what can we do about it?

In my video Which Type of Protein Is Better for Our Kidneys?, I discuss how the Western-style diet is a major risk factor for impaired kidney function and chronic kidney disease. Also known as "the meat-sweet diet or standard American diet," it causes an impairment of kidney blood flow, inflammation, subsequent leakage of protein in the urine, and a rapid decrease in kidney function. Table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are associated with increased blood pressure and uric acid levels, both of which can damage the kidney. The saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol found in animal fat and junk food negatively impact kidney function, as well.

The consumption of animal fat can actually alter the structure of the kidney, and animal protein can deliver an acid load to the kidneys, increase ammonia production, and damage the sensitive kidney cells. This is why restricting protein intake is recommended for preventing kidney function decline-though it may be animal protein in particular that may need restricting, not just protein in general. So, the source of the protein, plant versus animal, may be more important than the amount regarding adverse health consequences.

Animal protein intake profoundly affects normal human kidney function, inducing what's called hyperfiltration, which increases the workload of the kidney. This may help explain why our kidneys fail so often. "Unlimited intake of protein-rich foods, now generally regarded as 'normal,' may be responsible for dramatic differences in renal function between modern human beings and their remote predecessors who hunted and scavenged for meat." Indeed, our kidney reserves are continuously called upon by our sustained, rather than intermittent, excesses of protein. This causes a kind of unrelenting stress on our kidneys that can predispose even healthy people to progressive kidney scarring and deterioration of kidney function. It's as if we're always revving our engine into the red. Conversely, intake of an equal quantity of protein from plants doesn't appear to have the same effects.

We saw in a study that eating meat increases the workload on the kidneys within hours of consumption, but, apparently, processing plant protein is a cinch. That particular study was done with beef, but any animal protein will do. If you eat a meal of tuna fish, pressure on the kidneys goes up within just hours of consumption. Then the researchers switched it up and found that if instead of having a tuna salad sandwich, you have a tofu salad sandwich (with the same amount of protein): no adverse effect.

The same thing happens with eggs and dairy protein-both in people with normal kidneys and people with diseased kidneys.

Short-term studies have indicated that "substituting soy protein for animal protein is associated with less hyperfiltration and [protein leakage]...therefore slowing deterioration of renal function." However, the long-term effect had not been adequately studied, until 2014. A six-month double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial compared the effects of soy and dairy protein on renal function and determined that "the consumption of whole soy tended to preserve renal function compared with milk placebo in individual with lowered renal function." Similar results were reported in diabetics. Even just giving isolated soy protein appeared to make things better, compared to dairy protein which made things worse.

Once one's kidneys have deteriorated to the point that they're actively losing protein in the urine, a plant-based diet may help come to the rescue. Protein leakage on a standard low-sodium diet was compared to a special supplemented vegan diet. The researchers showed through diet alone, kidney dysfunction could be switched on and off like a light switch depending on what was going into their mouth. See the extraordinary graph in .

What is going on? Why does animal protein cause that overload reaction, but plant protein doesn't? The renal reaction appears to be an inflammatory response triggered by the animal protein. We know this because administration of a powerful anti-inflammatory drug abolished the hyperfiltration, protein leakage response to meat ingestion. Kidney stress has been shown to escalate in response to a meat meal, but that stress level remains low during the meal when supplemented with an anti-inflammatory drug. This confirms the role of inflammation in the impact of animal protein on our kidneys.

This is part of a new, extended series of videos on kidney health, which includes:

I've compared plant and animal protein in a variety of ways. See, for example,

Methionine Restriction as a Life Extension Strategy, Prostate Cancer Survival: The A/V Ratio, and Caloric Restriction vs. Animal Protein Restriction.

Perhaps the most dramatic demonstration was the study I featured in my 2015 annual presentation, Food as Medicine: Preventing and Treating the Most Dreaded Diseases with Diet.
Michael Greger, M.D.
In health,

PS: If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my free videos and watch my live, year-in-review presentations:

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The Effect of Animal Protein on the Kidneys | NutritionFacts.org

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Between 1990 and 2010, some of our leading causes of death and disability remained the same. Heart disease was the leading cause of loss of life and health then and remains the leading cause today. Some things got better, like HIV/AIDS, but others got worse, like chronic kidney disease.

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At a Glance

Compared to people eating diets rich in white meat or plant-based protein, those who ate a diet rich in red meat had triple the levels of a chemical linked to heart disease.

The findings suggest that measuring and targeting the chemical, called TMAO, may be a promising strategy for individualizing diets and helping to prevent heart disease.

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a dietary byproduct that is formed by gut bacteria during digestion. The chemical is derived in part from nutrients that are abundant in red meat. High saturated fat levels in red meat have long been known to contribute to heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. A growing number of studies have identified TMAO as another culprit.

The exact mechanisms by which TMAO may affect heart disease is complex. Prior research has shown that TMAO enhances cholesterol deposits in the artery wall. Studies also suggest that the chemical interacts with platelets-blood cells that are responsible for normal clotting responses-to increase the risk for clot-related events such as heart attack and stroke.

To investigate the effects of dietary protein on TMAO production, a research team led by Dr. Stanley L. Hazen at the Cleveland Clinic enrolled 113 healthy men and women in a clinical trial. The participants were given three diets for a month in random order. All meals were prepared for them, with 25% of calories from protein. The dietary proteins came from either red meat, white meat, or non-meat sources. The research was largely supported by NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Results were published on December 10, 2018, in European Heart Journal.

When on the red meat diet, the participants consumed roughly the equivalent of 8 ounces of steak daily, or two quarter-pound beef patties. After one month on this diet, blood levels of TMAO were three times higher than when participants were on the diets based on either white meat or non-meat protein sources.

Half of the participants were also placed on high-saturated fat versions of the three diets. The diets all had equal amounts of calories. The researchers found that saturated fat had no additional effect on TMAO levels.

Importantly, the TMAO increases were reversible. When the participants discontinued the red meat diet and ate either the white meat or non-meat diet for another month, their TMAO levels decreased significantly.

"This study shows for the first time what a dramatic effect changing your diet has on levels of TMAO, which is increasingly linked to heart disease," Hazen says.

"These findings reinforce current dietary recommendations that encourage all ages to follow a heart-healthy eating plan that limits red meat," says nutrition researcher Dr. Charlotte Pratt, the NHLBI project officer for the study. "This means eating a variety of foods, including more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy foods, and plant-based protein sources such as beans and peas."

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Eating red meat daily triples heart disease-related chemical

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Compared to people eating diets rich in white meat or plant-based protein, those who ate a diet rich in red meat had triple the levels of a chemical linked to heart disease. The findings suggest that measuring and targeting the chemical, called TMAO, may be a promising strategy for individualizing diets and helping to prevent heart disease.

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People who eat a high-protein diet during middle age are more likely to die of cancer than those who eat less protein, a new study finds.

However, for people older than 65, a moderate protein intake may actually be beneficial, and protect against frailty, the researchers said.

The researchers looked at more than 6,000 people ages 50 and older, and followed them for 18 years. They found that people ages 50 to 65 who ate a diet rich in animal proteins during middle age were more than four times as likely to die of cancer during the study period than those who ate a low-protein diet, according to the study published today (March 4) in the journal Cell Metabolism.

"Popular diets in many cases have high proteins and low sugars. They may make you lose some weight, but that's not a good diet to increase life span," said study researcher Valter Longo, professor of biology at the University of Southern California (USC) and director of the USC Longevity Institute.

The risks of a high-protein diet are even comparable to smoking, the researchers said. People who smoke are four times more likely to die of cancer compared with nonsmokers, Longo said.

"Of course we cannot be sure of the reasons, but we have a pretty good idea, based on this study and also previous studies, as to why this is happening," Longo said.

The study also found that middle-age people who ate foods rich in animal proteins - including meat, milk and cheese - were 75 percent more likely to die of any cause than those who ate a low-protein diet within the study period. [ 5 Diets That Fight Diseases]

The researchers defined a "high-protein" diet as deriving at least 20 percent of daily calories from protein, a "moderate" protein diet as deriving 10 to 19 percent of calories from protein, and a "low-protein" diet as less than 10 percent of calories from protein.

However, what's bad for people at one age may be healthy at another. In the study, people older than 65 were less likely to die of cancer or other causes if they consumed more protein.

"So, not all people benefit from low protein. Older people actually seem to benefit from moderate intake of protein," Longo said. Having enough protein in the diet may be important for older people to maintain a healthy weight and protect against frailty, the researchers said.

The link between high-protein intake and risk of cancer almost vanished when the researchers considered participants whose protein mainly came from plants, such as beans.

This may be because proteins in plants have a different composition, and don't stimulate growth hormones as efficiently as meat proteins, Longo said.

The study suggests that the Mediterranean diet, which is low in animal protein and high in carbohydrates, may be best for extending life span, Longo said.

The researchers said they recommend eating about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day in middle age. For example, a 130-pound person should eat about 45 to 50 grams of protein a day, with a preference for plant proteins, the researchers said.

To investigate why there may be a link between protein consumption and cancer, the researchers looked at mice that were injected with mouse skin cancer cells. They showed that a high amount of protein in the mouse diet promoted the tumor's survival and growth by increasing the levels of a growth hormone, called IGF-1.

The researchers also measured the levels of IGF-1 for 2,000 people, randomly selected among those in their study, and found that for every 10 nanograms per milliliter increase in IGF-1, those on a high-protein diet were 9 percent more likely to die of cancer than those on a low-protein diet.

"When you have a lot of protein, these growth factors go up, and we've shown that they help normal cells become cancer-like cells, and then they help the cells grow," Longo said.

Copyright 2014 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Diet High in Meat Proteins Raises Cancer Risk for Middle-Aged People

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People who eat a high-protein diet during middle age are more likely to die of cancer than those who eat less protein, a new study finds. However, for people older than 65, a moderate protein intake may actually be beneficial, and protect against frailty, the researchers said.