Diabetes not only affects your body's ability to properly use blood sugar, or glucose, in cells, it can also be the chief contributor to kidney disease. Excess levels of glucose in the blood can damage the nephrons, the filters in the kidneys; this affects the body's ability to filter key nutrients and break down the by-products of protein breakdown. If you experience both diabetes and renal insufficiency, your physician may recommend a low-protein diet to reduce the demands placed on your kidneys.
High Biological Value
Your body needs some amount of protein to maintain a healthy immune system and muscle tissue. If you are on a limited protein diet, your physician may recommend eating protein-containing foods that have a high biological value (HBV), which means they are easily assimilated into body tissue with a minimal release of excess toxins. When you have both diabetes and renal insufficiency, your physician may recommend eating a significant amount of eggs or egg white powder, which has the highest HBV. Animal protein sources like beef, fish and poultry tend to have a lower HBV.
Testing
Your physician can determine the proper protein intake for you based on a blood test for albumin. Albumin is a protein in your blood that can indicate your overall protein levels. Without enough protein, you can experience weakness and reduced immune function, which can contribute to your risk of death from renal insufficiency. Even if your kidneys are failing, your physician will not recommend a completely protein-free diet as it can lead to malnutrition.
Alternative Forms
If diabetes has made your renal insufficiency so severe that it affects your appetite, your physician may recommend nutritional protein beverages. Oral supplements or a protein solution added to dialysis treatments also can be administered. If you are having difficulty eating or have no appetite, it's important to notify your physician who can recommend these alternative methods to ensure you obtain at least a small amount of protein.
Dialysis
If your renal insufficiency progresses to where your kidney function is severely impaired, your physician may recommend undergoing dialysis. Dialysis is a mechanical form of blood filtration that mimics the filtering action of your kidneys. At this time, your physician may increase your recommended protein intake. Prior to dialysis, you recommended protein intake may be limited to 1 g of protein for every kilogram of your body weight. Because dialysis increases your body's ability to filter proteins, your recommended daily intake may change based on your overall health.
References
- Drugs.com; Renal Failure Diet; 2011
- Medical College of Wisconsin; Diet for Renal Patient; 2010
- MedlinePlus; Diet - Chronic Kidney Disease; October 2009
- American Association of Kidney Patients; Balancing Protein in the Renal Diet; Stacy Adams, MPH, RD, CDN; May 2004
- Go Ask Alice; Low Protein Diabetic (Renal) Diet; May 1997
