These diets may help you lose weight, but they may be harming your health in the process.
Finding a diet plan that you can stick to is essential when it comes to losing weight. Even a weight-loss-friendly eating routine, on the other hand, can be harmful to your general health. In reality, a variety of popular diets may be causing severe kidney damage, and you may not even be aware of your health problems until it's too late. Read on to learn which diets are likely to cause long-term kidney damage, so you may proceed with care and ask a doctor if this is the appropriate diet for you. Most healthy people don't have to worry about their diet affecting their kidney health; however, "if you have any kidney weakness or illness, it's recommended to discuss safety protocols with a professional," says Amy Shapiro, MS, RD, CDN, founder, and director of Real Nutrition NYC.
1. Keto
While many of its supporters praise keto as an efficient way to lose weight quickly, it may have some drawbacks regarding kidney health. Thirteen of 195 children given a ketogenic diet for epilepsy had kidney stones, according to research published in the Journal of Child Neurology.
2. Fasting
Skipping breakfast can help you lose weight by giving your digestive system rest, but longer fasts might be harmful to your kidneys. Patients who went on an 11-day fast during which they only drank water increased their uric acid production and had a drop in kidney function once they resumed eating, according to a 2018 study published in the Bratislava Medical Journal; however, the results showed that this reduced function was still within a healthy range. The participants' kidney function recovered to normal 11 days after the fast ended, and they were able to reduce oxidative stress, body weight, and blood pressure due to the fast. Before attempting a fast, talk to your doctor if you have any kidney problems.
3. Juice Fasting
If you're thinking about going on a juice fast to lose weight, make sure your kidneys are in great condition first. Research published in 2013 in the American Journal of Medicine revealed that the juicing of oxalate-rich foods such as berries, beets and oranges, spinach, and other green leafy vegetables could cause serious kidney health difficulties for some people.
According to the study's authors, "juicing followed by heavy consumption of oxalate-rich juices appears to be a potential cause of oxalate nephropathy and acute renal failure." According to the American Kidney Fund, another kidney issue that could arise with juicing is the levels of potassium in some foods: "Those with kidney issues may need to look out for the potassium in some of the foods," says Shapiro, because those with kidney disease cannot remove extra potassium from the body, and too much potassium in the blood can lead to dangerous side effects like heart attacks.
4. Soy-Heavy Diets
While limiting the quantity of animal protein in your diet may be beneficial to your health, replacing soy-based proteins with other forms of protein may cause kidney damage accidentally.
According to a small study of just eight people published in Topics in Clinical Nutrition, frequent soy consumption may increase urinary oxalate excretion, raising the risk of kidney stones. Oxalate is a chemical found in soy and certain other foods. It's worth noting, however, that this study didn't look at any long-term impacts on kidneys after eating soy meals, instead of focusing on the effects after only 8 hours. As a result, the impact of soy diets on kidney health was questionable. Because there are so many advantages to eating soy foods, it's worth talking to your doctor if you're concerned about the effects on your kidneys.