How Much Protein to Eat for a Person with Nephritis

A balanced diet plays a vital role in treating nephritis.Generally, a low-protein diet is recommended for renal patients. How much protein to eat for a person with nephritis?

Significance of protein in body

Proteins perform a number of vital roles in body.They are used to repair tissue,make hormones,help balance acid-base,fluid and electrolytes,and provide some of the body’s energy.

After the protein is metabolized,it will produce urea nitrogen. Healthy kidneys have millions of nephrons that can filer this waste.It is then removed from the body in the urine.However,in Nephritis, the nephrons become impaired. High levels of urea nitrogen will build up in body.The urea nitrogen is toxic and can cause extra strain on kidneys,thus accelerating renal function deterioration.

How much protein to eat for a person with nephritis?

In fact,there is no a standard for how much protein to consume for a nephritis patient a day.It is totally determined by a person’s illness condition.If the patient does not have severe swelling and protein in urine,it is not necessary to control protein intake strictly.Once glomerular filtration rate (GFR) declines below 50ml/min,the patients should start to reduce protein intake.The daily recommended protein intake is 0.8/g/kg per body weight.For a person with GFR of 10-20ml/min, they are recommended to consume 0.6g/kg per body weight.If you have no idea how to manage your protein intake,you can email to kidneycares@hotmail.com  for more suggestions.

In addition,it is important for a nephritis patient to choose the type of protein in their diet.Protein is composed of high-quality protein and low-quality protein. High-quality protein can provide essential amino acid for human body and also produce very little waste products.Animal proteins are the sources of high-quality proteins and the patients with nephritis should increase animal proteins in their diet. If you have any question, you can leave a message below.