Friday, January 9, 2015

The exploding kidney myth and ketoacidosis

One of the common myths about low carb is that it can cause kidney damage. This is not true. If your kidneys are healthy, low carb will not damage them. In fact, studies are starting to show helps repair damage to the small blood vessels in the kidneys.

 Unfortunately, people in the health care profession have not kept up with the latest research. Doctors, nurses and nutritionist throw out the "low carb causes kidney damage" line while ignoring the actual science. I have also noticed that a scary amount of nurses do not even know the difference between ketosis (a benign condition where your body is fueled by ketones instead of glucose) and ketoacidosis (a dangerous condition including high ketone levels AND high blood sugar, found in uncontrolled diabetes).

 If your health care professional doesn't know the difference between the two, or is trying to scare you by saying low carb will make your kidneys "asplode", you may need to educate them or find a different health care provider. Now, I don't expect people to just take my word for all this. See below for articles concerning ketosis and kidney issues. Read them over and decide for yourself.