In the past it’s been shown eating a diet that lowers blood sugar can prevent kidney failure in diabetic patients -- but not reverse it. Now a new diet-based study offers the promise that a high fat “ketogenic” diet may actually reverse the kidney damage caused by diabetes. This is news that could change the lives of tens of thousands of Americans.
Inside our kidney are millions of tiny blood vessels that act as filters. Their job is to remove waste products from the blood. Diabetes can damage the kidneys and cause them to fail. Failing kidneys lose their ability to filter out waste products, resulting in kidney disease.
The new research was conducted at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. It showed that mice who were fed a high-fat diet of 5% carbohydrate, 8% protein and a whopping 87% fat -- were the first to show dietary intervention alone is enough to reverse kidney failure caused by diabetes.
Medical experts say that this finding is significant because it could affect everyone diagnosed with diabetic kidney failure. But it’s not an easy cure. Following a ketogenic diet is tough to do. An average week might include over a quart of heavy cream, a stick and a half of butter, 13 teaspoons of coconut oil, 20 slices of bacon and 9 eggs. That’s just breakfasts.
