Diabetes Care, Vol 10, Issue 4 407-413, Copyright © 1987 by American Diabetes Association
Reduced albuminuria after dietary protein restriction in insulin-dependent diabetic patients with clinical nephropathy
A Ciavarella, G Di Mizio, S Stefoni, LC Borgnino and P Vannini
Recent clinical investigations have demonstrated that an early restriction
of dietary protein intake may reduce the rate of progression of chronic
renal failure in humans. In this study the effects of a restricted-protein
diet on kidney function in type I diabetic patients with clinical
nephropathy were evaluated. Sixteen patients (9 men, 7 women) with mean age
37.1 +/- 9.8 yr, mean duration of diabetes 17.7 +/- 6.6 yr, proteinuria
greater than 0.5 g/24 h, and serum creatinine concentration of 0.7-1.9
mg/dl were studied. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. The
low-protein diet (LPD) group comprised seven patients who were kept for 4.5
+/- 1 mo on a diet containing 0.71 +/- 0.12 g X kg-1 X day-1 protein. The
normal-protein diet (NPD) group comprised nine patients as controls
maintained for 11.7 +/- 7 mo on their usual diabetic diet containing 1.44
+/- 0.12 g X kg-1 X day-1 protein. All patients were studied every 1-2 mo.
Metabolic control was assessed by evaluation of 5-8 blood glucose
determinations/day and by glycosylated hemoglobin, whereas renal function
was evaluated by albumin, IgG and beta 2-microglobulin urinary excretion
rates, serum creatinine concentration, and creatinine clearance. At each
visit, serum concentrations of total protein, albumin, phosphate, calcium,
and electrolytes and weight and blood pressure were also measured. A
significant reduction (434 +/- 244 to 205 +/- 212 micrograms/min, mean +/-
SD) in albumin excretion rate was found in all LPD patients after dietary
protein restriction, with a significant reincrease (689 +/- 201
micrograms/min) in the same patients several months after interruption of
diet.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)