Keto, Carnivore, High-Protein Diets: Can eating too much protein or too few carbs put your kidneys under stress?

Extreme diets rarely come with a warning label. Keto promises rapid weight loss, high-protein plans are popular among gym-goers, and the carnivore diet has found an audience among people looking for a simple way to eat. But when a diet cuts out entire food groups or pushes one nutrient to an extreme, the question is not only whether it helps with weight or muscle. It is also what happens to the kidneys that have to process the by-products of what is being eaten.The answer is more nuanced than saying that keto, carnivore or high-protein diets automatically damage the kidneys. People with healthy kidneys may tolerate a higher protein intake or a well-planned ketogenic diet without developing kidney disease. But the situation changes when someone already has reduced kidney function, diabetes, high blood pressure, recurrent kidney stones or other risk factors.“Diet itself is not necessarily harmful to the kidneys, but extreme dietary patterns can become problematic depending on the amount of protein, salt, fluids and other nutrients consumed, as well as the person’s underlying kidney health,” said Dr Srivatsa A, Consultant Nephrologist & Transplant Physician, Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru.The bigger concern, therefore, is not the name of the diet. It is how extreme the diet becomes, what it replaces and who is following it.