High Protein Diets & Kidney Function 

Any chance we could get these studies linked in the description? Please and thanks.

Got my bloodwork done. Creatinine and BUN were high. Doc asked me if I eat high protein for training, I told him yes. Doc said aiite don't worry too much, just drink more water. I have a good Doctor.

This is the type of info that many in gen pop (and seasoned lifters) need to listen thoroughly. Again and again . Well spoken , with no technical jargon . Thanks Layne 💪⚡

I started using the app 3 days ago and I've already lost 6lbs! I love it and it's way easier to use than I expected! Definitely worth it

My doc is always on my case about my higher nitrogen levels and telling me to back off the protein. Thanks for this breakdown Layne!

My BUN was 17 three years ago and Creatinine was 1.1. Was doing a 5x5 workout 3 days a week but on a fairly high carb diet. Last April BUN was 21. At that point I had just started a low carb diet and added in more cardio to my weekly exercise. 3 mos later my BUN increased to 27 and Creatinine was 1.2. At that point i went full Carnivore with 16:8 IF. After 4 months of Carnivore, my BUN was at 31 and creatinine was 1.21 which determined an eGFR of 65. Was worried about my kidneys until watching this video and some of the comments. Good to know others who lift and consume a lot of protein have high BUN numbers as well.

This was a good piece of information. I'm still following because time to time I find something very useful.

Thanks, Layne. My TRT doc keeps lecturing me on my high creatinine levels. This was informative.

I did the booty workout builder for 4 weeks, I’m still working on it. But I’ve gained significant strength in my legs and back and my back pain has gone away. I love layne Norton

Awesome content as always this guy helps us a lot and gives us the truth!

Great information, thank you!

Love the videos and your knowledge.. thx 💪🏽💪🏽

Super helpful Layne!!

You are the best! I am a bodybuilder with pretty good lean muscle mass. My BUN was 35, but everything else was absolutely normal. I do eat a high protein diet and relatively low carb. You answered all my questions and concerns! So grateful for your videos, knowledge, and expertise! Thank you!

Another great topic 🥳

Well spoken mate 👏🏻👏🏻

Will liver numbers also be elevated in lifters Layne? Just curious as to if those numbers trend higher like renal results or if it’s just strictly individual

Heavy weightlifting, high protein diet and daily creatine will definitely elevate your creatinine.

@biolayne Thanks for the insight, I've been trying got straight educated answers on this for years. One more question that I cannot seem to get a straight answer on. Since I am a kidney donor should I fall into the "less than normal kidney function" isle? Specifically for protein intake (1gr pr lean BW) and supplements- creatine, whey protein, etc? Any additional concerns for a 50 yr old weightlifting kidney donor with one healthy kidney?

Very true Layne!!! Great video. I donated a kidney to my uncle in 2008. Started competing in 2011 against the doctors suggestion as they were "concerned" that 1g per lb of bodyweight was too much. It's 2020 and I'm fine. I get my kidney checked annually just to be sure. Get your protein in y'all.👍🏽

I follow you on instagram as well, your contents are super useful and extremely beneficial. Thank you do much 🙌

I love your videos, you're the guy but you have to do something about that vibrant cyan background. I've had a lot of people ask me about creatine and if it's bad for your kidneys.

Thanks for the video. I wonder what are the long-term effect of a high creatinine level. It is still a metabolic by-product that is supposed to stay low no?

Can you comment on high protein in patients with early kidney damage. I have small amounts of protein in my urine.

Superb info 👌 thank you 🙏

@biolayne I have decided to donate my kidney to my best friend. But I do train martial arts and consume a very high protein diet. I wonder how much it will affect my remaining kidney?

Always great information. I know this is an old video and may not get an answer. When it comes to mod high blood levels of Creatinine 1.31 and BUN 26 on high protein diet with creatine as well. My doc wants me to quit creatine due to these numbers.

Non Sequitur, can soy be substituted for chicken as a protein source? And is it harmful in the long run?

This is great news for my dog that had cysteine stones …always trying to prevent more

Does this same logic extent to Creatine consumption? I’ve been taking roughly 5grams a day for almost 2 years and was wondering if it could be putting extra stress on the old kidneys..

considering the AJKD says otherwise for CKD patients I would really like the sources you are mentioning here.

Awesome video Layne! I've also heard that high protein diets can cause gout. Is there any science behind that claim? Also also, does the app have a web interface? Is there a web portal where I can login and input stuff on my laptop instead of my phone?

Thank you for this! I've heard the high protein/kidney disease BS from many non-bodybuilder people in my life and now I can just refer them to this video. I do that with a lot of the topics covered in your videos :)

Thank you I’m sharing

They need to do Studies with ppl who eat 150grams and above. Because no body builder eats 100 gram they eat more like 150 gram to 225grams of protein per day

I'm a kidney transplant patient and I want to do the carnivore diet but I know my doctors will freak out if they see that my creatinine level has increased. So I don't really know what to do.

I’m so confused. I’ve just had my bloods done. And my level was 1.4 and as a female it’s considered high. I weight lift regularly and usually have about 100g-130g protein a day. Apparently the protein and muscle causes more creatine levels ? I don’t know if I need to cut down or what?

What if a person has foamy urine due to a high protein diet? What can be the causes?

What is concerned a high protein diet

Is it beneficial to supplement creatine if we already have a natural high dose of creatinine ? Please

thank you man and I also take high protein diet and my urea is little bit high

Ladies and gentlemen, just because there’s little study, whether if protein affects the kidneys, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t affect them! And that’s not your queue to basically leave the doctors office saying “ well he said there’s no proof that the protein is affecting my kidneys, so I’m just gonna ignore it and keep on doing what I’m doing” lol! The reason why there’s little study on it is because there’s not enough people that are complaining about the symptoms that’s alerting doctors to experiment whether protein powders are damaging the kidneys. Because remember the protein powders, and all those supplements “ARE NOT” FDA approved. And the reason why we go against the doctors advice…is simply because we don’t want to hear anything that’s gonna make a stop what we’re doing! I’m a bodybuilder and I weigh 250 pounds all muscle and I went to my kidney specialist and I was just diagnosed with stage two chronic kidney disease! And I was talking about the protein, I showed him my jug of protein that I was taking and 80% of it had good stuff in it however what we don’t know is that there’s a lot of stuff in protein powders that damage kidneys! We as bodybuilders don’t wanna hear this though! But when my kidney doctor said the word “dialysis”….. and I was already feeling pain or pressure in my back. Y’all better slow your behinds down. And also remember high blood pressure affects your kidneys. So be careful.

Well Appreciated!

If you see Dr. Richard Bernstein Who is a type one diabetic and wrote the book called “diabetes solution, “ he talks about kidneys and protein. The only place that he says protein may help is in prolonging the Life of the kidneys when they are nearly gone at 15% function. He says that may give the kidneys another six months, but don’t quote me. I study under him because I’m a type one diabetic. I’m sure that he said this but I’m not sure of the percentage of value stated but I believe it was 15% of kidney function. Then he just said to cut back on proteins, not to eliminate them entirely. No relation on kidneys otherwise.

Thank you so much for this clarification.My doctor gave me a heart attack and told me she wants to see me asap because my CKK we're elevated. She asked if I lift and I told her yes 5 -6 times a week. She wants to more tests. I shouldn't worry right ?

My urologist told me to stop protein powder (30gr/day) and creatine (3gr/day) intake when I had erectile dysfunction. My bloodwork was perfect and I was eating a healthy/balanced diet. He told me that the Ritalin and clonazepam I took at the time wasn't the problem. :/ These kind of MDs discourage me to seek help when it's needed.

What about 150g of egg 🥚 whites and 150g of lean meet. I lost a kidney at 34 and now 37. I was consuming 300 grams a day. I am 330 pounds now I was told not to consume that much and got overweight.

Could high protein diet lead to high levels of uric acids? What food cause uric acids? What’s the right amount of protein for an individual for muscle building ?(female)

I have high bun, but should I get my kidney function tested?

Is cyststin c the marker to check to make sure?

You mentioned that when high protein eaters had their "actual kidney function tested", their high Urera nitrogen and Creatinine proved to be poor indicators for them and that their kidney function was fine. Can you please specify which kidney function test you were talking about? Any help will be appreciated. Thank you.

Is this similar to high cholestorel levels on paper work does it equate to heart disease? What i mean is are they related? I read somewhere that high cholesterol means the body is recovering from an injury, and that you do not get high cholesterol from the food you eat..not sure if this is true. What do you think?

Thank you

I have CKD 3 and have been on a mostly Carnivore diet for about 6 weeks. Just had lipid profile done. All of my numbers are in the normal range. except I had a high Cholesterol of 240, with HDL being 84. Does anyone have a similar experience?

So glad I saw this video. My doctor scared me away from creatine because my creatinine levels were a little higher than normal. Made me believe creatine use was actually harming my kidneys 🤦🏼‍♂️

My BUN/creat was higher (abnormal) range a couple years ago (I lifted 6 days a week at the time id say mod-high intensity body building style), and my PCP took precaution about my abnormal levels. He referred me to a nephrologist even, and from there told me to stop working out for 3 weeks (lol). All I did was walk my dog. Guess what, 3 weeks later, new blood work, and my bun/creat were within normal limits. I’m sure most doctors just do protocol measures because if I really did have kidney disease I and they saw my blood work and didn’t refer me/do something about it, could be negligence ?

I was on the carnivore diet for almost 3 months everything they claim about it is awful for your kidneys. I now wonder if being on it is what brought out the kidney stones that followed by massive nonstop blood clots? If it did it saved my life. I would of never known about the 4.7cm tumor on my left kidney. I felt better on the all meat diet than ever. Now I am sooo confused??? I am so paranoid to get back on it. I just have no clue what to believe. I meet with the immunotherapy doctor today I am terrified of that stuff too. I do not trust anything. I have read the lobbyists who promote all the food give millions to all the cancer groups that promote the opposite when actually red meat is the very best thing for you. I am going to continue to research and pray to know what to believe. On 11/22/2023 I had a radical nephrectomy.

There NO peer reviewed, scientific studies stating that high protein diets have adverse effects on the kidneys. Excessive carbs however are the kidney killers. Thanks for the video and your facts on Stu Philips meta-analysis. Good work

My eGFR is now 61… steadily declining over the last couple years as I’ve been on a high protein diet. Super high Creatinine & BUN. Not sure I should stay on this high protein diet.

next one about metformin layne!

I did carnivore for 80 days, and about a month was the lion diet. I ate nothing but 65/35 burger. The carnivore diet did great things for me. Lost some weight I could never lose, got rid if inflammation in my knees, slept better as well. However, I started to have more and more difficulties with bowel movements (even though I was drinking plenty of water, high fat, and just the right amount of salt. Finally one morning, day 80, I could not squeeze out a poop. It was pretty scary feeling. Not that I had constipation, it just was there, but not willing to come through the door. lol Right then and there I decided we were going to do some oatmeal, and within 2 hours, things were rolling very well. I encourage everyone who can remain on the diet to keep at it. Another thing, however, is pay attention to if you feel any kidney pains, or severe thirst. Lots of protein is harder for the kidneys to process and high fat slows down digestion. I did a dot physical yesterday, and they found blood in my urine. Since then, I've backed off from 2 lbs of burger a day, to just eggs for now. Then when I do reintroduce beef, it will probably be only 150g a day.

Low carb diet helps the kidney, not low protein. Protein is vital for human health, eliminate carbohydrates. Carbs are the only of the 3 that you do not need, which just tells you that you need protein and fat, and not carbs.

But what if your urine is foamy? Could that happen if you're diet is too high in protein due to your workout schedule? I've done some research on the internet and foamy urine is considered to be a sign of kidney disease, but nothing is said about high-protein diets like in bodybuilding, most articles just refer to average people who don't lift. Does anyone know?

Thanks

Layne has a little stain on his red shirt. Almost vertically parallel to his mic. I wonder if it was whey protein? Good video.

My urea levels increased and now my mum is telling me to stop my protein drinks and have more water 😭😭 I'm fine with the water bit, but don't want to reduce my protein intake; especially after progress made in the gym.

Does this also pertain to kidney stones? Dietitians running around saying a good rule of thumb is to aim for 0.8-1.0 grams of protein per kilogram body weight per day. For example, a person who weighs 175 pounds (79.5 kilograms) needs about 64-80 grams of protein per day. As a fitness nut I've been consuming 25gx6 a day = 150 grams a day Not only are they saying to limit protein intake, but they recommend replacing animal protein with other choices and most certainly NOT protein powders. So confused. Please help

Video was clear, and I understand what it conveys but still I have a question. In some of chubbyemu videos, some cases cause muscle to deteriorate and their proteins end up clogging/shutting down kidneys. Assuming said kidney it's self is healthy and capable of filtering as normal why do they cannot handle those from muscle proteins ?

what about diabetic people?

I’d be interested to see a few studies conducted on long term extremely high protein intake. I personally consume 70%+ of my calories from protein daily (mainly in the form of whey isolate) because I love the taste

How did your clients get their kidney function tested besides creatinine and BUN?

Higher than normal levels of blood of creatinine should not be dismissed. While I appreciate the research he is sharing, higher protein intake increases the glomerular filtration rate and some research, although mixed, shows a decline in renal function over time with high protein diets. Normal blood creatinine should be about 1. If it’s over 1.2, I would monitor and not dismiss. I would personally reduce protein intake if my creatinine was high.

1.5g per kg body weight in the fitness world is almost “low protein” ... I’ve seen 75kg bodybuilder consume 250g-300g. What do you think or suggest as the upper end of safe long term protein consumption, Layne?

Is 1lb per lean body mass god enough to optimize protein synthesis and become in an anabolic state and start building muscle?

is 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight safe

I told my doctor I'm eating over 100 grams of protein per day and she said it was probably too much. I'm a healthy individual with no morbidities, I train 6 days a week and currently have BMI of 25.7. I haven't really increased my protein intake (

For Sparta!

New sub..!

I have foam in my urine I have been healthy most of my life I'm 21 and working out this is called proteinuria and this indicates that I have some lvl of inflammation in my kidneys in the albumin protein

Hi I am a 52 year old woman , 5'6", 135 lbs, who does a HIT workout 4 times a week and runs once a week, and for many years have eaten a low carb, low sugar and high protein diet. I am getting blood test results with 55mg/l Calcium in the urine, high levels of creatinine in my urine (464mg/l), 12.90mg/L creatinine in my blood, and uric acid at 65mg/l in the blood as well. My thyroid is good, my cholesterol is good with a ratio of 2.3, my insulin levels are fine. My eGFR was borderline normal. The doctors and blood work are indicating stage 3 kidney disease. I feel healthy, strong, look fit, and I am totally shocked and confused!!! Should a keto diet be stopped? Any suggestions how to care nutritionally for these results? Any suggestions of a lab that offers Cystatin C testing in place of eGFR?

I wouldn't describe 1.5 g protein per kg bodyweight as high.

Haha best outro ever

I was just diagnosed two weeks ago with chronic kidney disease due to the numbers on my blood work. I feel totally fine. I think my doctor is one of those dogmatic types of which you speak. This video makes me feel a whole lot better.

I've seen this time and time again. I take lithium orotate for bipolar disorder. The experts are saying people need about 1mg of elemental lithium per day. I can tolerate up to 30mg. Why? Because the kidney issues arise when you have more "stuff" to filter in general. If you are using it up, then there's nothing to filter. As someone with bipolar, I use every bit of it up. Otherwise I SHOULD see rapidly declining kidney function by now, but I have none. In fact, my egfr has slowly improved with lithium orotate as it has cut out my sugar cravings, and many other lifestyle habits have been more effective, so drinking more water too, eating more animal protein actually, stuff like that. Kidney problems come from too many crystals in the urine anyways. Those are usually oxalate and uric acid stones, from oxalate dumping and too much sugar. Of course taking massive doses of lithium CARBONATE made my egfr tank back when they had me on the not bioavailable form of lithium. I take other sups to make lithium orotate more effective and those can give cloudy urine. Specifically glycine and taurine seem to be doing it. I stopped taking them and the problem went away. I likely will not continue taking them.

Seems like weightlifters/atheletes would use up more protein than sedentary people. Hence less stress on kidneys.

Is 1kg/lb bodyweight protein /day safe

How do you test for kidney function to truly know if your kidney is healthy?

Whey protein in my coffee, taste so good............

Another of those "correlation does not equal causation".

For the algorithm 👏👏👏🤙💪🤟🤓🥳😎

It's extremely bad form to claim hundreds of studies support what you're saying and yet not linking to any of them.

Another decades long medical recommendation turned out to be wrong? Imagine my shock

For the algorithm.

kidney needs carbohydrates?

4:24

isnt foamy urine bad ? high protein cause foamy urine

You have the exact same stain on your shirt as in the last video 😋

Carnivore diet cured stagev5 down to stage 1

I think we should watch the fat intake and not the protein. Protein always comes with fat and maybe the problem is eating too much fat. I would think fat would sludge up the plumbing and cause flow problems in the kidneys.

1g per lbs should be fine