Keto diet can help in controlling polycystic kidney disease: Study

Ketogenic diet consisting of foods with very low levels of carbs is effective at controlling polycystic kidney disease PKD according to the first randomised controlled clinical trialPKD is an inherited disorder in which clusters of cysts develop primarily within the kidneys causing the organs to enlarge and lose function over timeThe trial published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine aimed to investigate the effect of the fasting response known as ketosis on the cysts that are the hallmark of the diseaseIm really happy about these clinical trial results said biologist Thomas Weimbs at University of CaliforniaSanta BarbaraWe now have the first evidence in humans that the cysts really donrsquot like to be in ketosis and that they donrsquot seem to grow he addedFor PKD patients these findings represent an opportunity to control a genetic disease that leads to a progressive condition causing pain and robbing them of their quality of life and often resulting in the need for dialysis and kidney transplantation as the cysts destroy the kidneysrsquo ability to effectively filter and remove waste from the bodyIf you have PKD the dogma is that itrsquos a genetic disease Weimbs saidAnd no matter what you do you progress toward kidney failure and diet doesnrsquot make any difference which unfortunately most patients are told to this dayThis prevailing belief was what the Weimbs Lab and colleagues from various research institutions in Germany set out to challenge with their trial Sixtysix PKD patients were randomly split into three groups a control group that received routine PKD counselling another group that underwent a threeday water fast every month and a third group that observed a lowcarbohydrate highfat ketogenic dietThe patients were followed closely with blood draws and MRI scansAt the end of the threemonth trial period the researchers found that while the control group experienced the expected growth in the size of their kidneys the ketogenic diet patientsrsquo kidneys stopped growing and appeared to show a tendency to shrink somewhat though the researchers pointed out that the shrinkage over the 90day trial period failed to meet statistical significanceThe most striking evidence came in the form of measurably improved kidney function in the ketogenic diet patients which was statistically significant However there is no one ketogenic diet to fit all Weimbs saidTo get the best out of their diet PKD patients should consult with their physicians and nutritionists as they shift away from the usual carbohydrate and sugarladen standard diets that are pervasive in industrialised societiesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever