Chronic Kidney Disease? Eat this food

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is usually considered a disease of the kidneys. Makes sense, right?

No, according to a new study published in Nature Microbiology, there is another organ that’s responsible for CKD.

Even better, this new study reveals that if you eat more of one type of food, you can trick this organ into treating your kidney disease.

This study starts with fiber, which is found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. It’s well known for promoting digestive health.

Researchers from DTU National Food Institute and the University of Copenhagen have discovered that fiber does much more than keep our bowels regular. It influences how gut bacteria metabolize tryptophan, an essential amino acid found in protein-rich foods like chicken, salmon, and legumes.

Tryptophan is vital for our health because our bodies can’t produce it; we must obtain it from our diet. Once in our gut, it can be broken down by different types of bacteria, leading to either beneficial or harmful outcomes. This new study reveals that dietary fiber plays a crucial role in directing this process.

This is how it works.

There are two specific bacteria, E. coli and C. sporogenes, that compete for tryptophan in your gut. Both want to grab as much of it as possible so they can break it down.

E. coli converts tryptophan into a compound called indole, which, among other bad things, causes chronic kidney disease (CKD).

On the other hand, C. sporogenes converts tryptophan into indolelactic acid and indolepropionic acid, both of which are linked to health benefits, including protection against inflammatory bowel diseases, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological disorders.

So, we obviously want C. sporogenes to win this war for tryptophan so that we can avoid CKD.

This study, which was conducted as a series of experiments in both the lab and in mice, shows that a high fiber diet can tip the balance to help C. sporogenes win the battle. Here’s how.

The scientists discovered that bacteria that break down fiber play a pivotal role. These bacteria break down dietary fibers into simple sugars, which E. coli likes more than it likes tryptophan. When E. coli consumes these sugars, it leaves the tryptophan for C. sporogenes to have.

In this case, E. coli doesn’t produce the substance that causes CKD, and C. sporogenes can convert the tryptophan into compounds with beneficial health effects.

So, here is this process again, step-by-step:

1. You eat fiber.
2. Bacteria breaks it down to simple sugars.
3. E. coli grabs the simple sugars and leaves the tryptophan alone.
4. C. sporogenes then takes all the tryptophan and converts it to healthy compounds.
5. If E. coli doesn’t convert tryptophan, you dodge CKD.

So, load your diet with plenty of fibrous whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits, and non-starchy vegetables to prevent CKD.

But if you already suffer CKD, eating a lot of fiber is not enough to reverse it. For that you need to take a few more all-natural steps explained here…