Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar called glucose, which you can manage by diet. In type 1 diabetes, you are unable to produce insulin, a hormone that transports glucose from your blood into your cells. In type 2 diabetes, you produce insulin, but your cells are resistant to it. Blood glucose levels swell in both types of diabetes and can cause cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, stroke, nerve damage and blindness.
Diabetes and Kidney Disease
Your kidneys are organs that filter out waste from the blood and prepare it for excretion through urine. Millions of small blood vessels called capillaries transport blood and waste through your kidneys. These capillaries contain tiny holes that small molecules of waste squeeze through. These small molecules become part of your urine, but larger molecules such as red blood cells and protein stay in your blood. When you have diabetes, excess glucose in your blood can damage blood vessels throughout your body, including capillaries in your kidneys. As a result, your kidneys overwork and filter out too much blood. Over time, the capillaries leak useful proteins into your urine. Eventually your kidneys fail and are unable to filter blood, causing waste to build up in your blood, which can lead to serious symptoms and fatality. At this stage your options are hemodialysis, a machine-assisted filtering system, or a kidney transplant.
Low-protein Diet
Consuming dietary proteins causes your body to produce waste products, including nitrogen-containing urea, that stimulate your kidneys to overwork and increase your risk of kidney failure. Doctors often prescribe a low-protein diet for diabetics with kidney disease to reduce the risk of kidney failure. Spreading the amount of protein across meals, rather than eating a high amount of protein at one meal, may reduce the amount of stress on your kidneys.
Low-phosphorus Diet
High blood levels of phosphorus, called hyperphosphatemia, increases your risk of kidney damage. Phosphorus is a mineral found in most foods and plays a role in energy metabolism in cells throughout your body. Plant-based foods contain less phosphorus than red meat, poultry, pork, fish and dairy. Consuming a low-phosphorus diet can reduce your risk of kidney failure. Research by scientists at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis and published in the "Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology" in 2011 discovered that patients with chronic kidney disease who consume a vegetarian diet have lower blood phosphorus levels than patients who eat a meat protein diet.
Low-sodium Diet
Diabetics with kidney disease can benefit from a low-sodium diet. Sodium is a salt manufacturers add to processed foods that can increase your blood pressure and risk of stroke. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, may increase your risk of chronic kidney disease. Research by scientists at Emory University School of Medicine and published in the "Journal of the National Medical Association" in 2002 reports that the key risk factors for kidney disease are diabetes and hypertension.
References
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse: Diabetes
- American Diabetes Association: Kidney Disease (Nephropathy)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Kidney Disease of Diabetes; September 2008
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University: Phosphorus
- "Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology"; Vegetarian Compared With Meat Dietary Protein Source and Phosphorus Homeostasis in Chronic Kidney Disease; Sharon Moe, et al.; February 2011
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Sodium: The Facts
