The low-protein diet in chronic kidney disease: still a valid prescription?
Bellizzi, V.; Del Vecchio, L.; De Nicola, L.
Giornale Italiano di Nefrologia Organo Ufficiale Della Societa Italiana di Nefrologia 25(5): 515-527
2008
ISSN/ISBN: 0393-5590 PMID: 18828114 Document Number: 620900
Low-protein diets were originally identified as a therapeutic tool to alleviate symptoms and signs of uremia. Their prescription, however, became common in the 1980s to reduce the rate of progression of chronic kidney disease. Since then, several studies of this nonpharmacological intervention have been published. In particular, the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) study, which is a cornerstone of the nephrology literature, was specifically aimed at verifying the effectiveness of low-protein diets; the results, however, were negative. Therefore, the diet issue progressively disappeared from scientific meetings and journals, and as a consequence also its use in clinical practice has diminished. The aim of this paper is to describe the state of the art of low-protein diets almost 15 years from the publication of the MDRD study.