What is the best protein powder for renal patients?

Looking for the best protein powder for renal patients? Discover how to safely meet your protein needs with kidney disease.

Shop Now

Shop Now

Protein powder and renal patients

Is protein powder good for renal patients?

Not only is protein an important nutrient that plays a crucial role in the overall health of the human body, but protein malnutrition is also common in renal patients.

It is therefore important that renal patients prioritize meeting their daily protein requirements.

It is possible for renal patients to consume too much protein, however, and doing so can lead to kidney damage.

When protein is digested, it is broken down into amino acids, which are used by the body to build and repair muscle tissues. Excess amino acids (those that are not used by the body) are excreted by the kidneys.

When you eat a diet high in protein, your kidneys have to work harder to filter out excess amino acids, which can lead to kidney damage over time if your kidney function is impaired.

A high protein diet can also increase the levels of urea – a waste product created when protein is broken down – in the blood.

High levels of urea and other nitrogenous waste products can cause kidney damage and increase the risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in individuals with impaired kidney function.

Individuals with kidney disease therefore need to be mindful of how much protein they eat.

When in doubt, you should always consult with your doctor or dietitian before making changes to your diet.

How much protein do renal patients need?

Whether renal patients need extra protein depends on the stage of kidney disease and whether they are undergoing dialysis.

Keep in mind that protein requirements also differ significantly based on individual kidney function and treatment plans.

• Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) – Early to Moderate Stages: In the early to moderate stages of CKD, patients typically need to limit their protein intake as the kidneys are less effective at filtering waste products from protein metabolism at this time. The recommended protein intake for non-dialysis renal patients is 0.6 to 0.8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight per day with > 50% HBV proteins. HBV stands for high biological value, and refers to protein sources such as eggs, fish, poultry, meat and dairy.
• End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) – On Dialysis: For renal patients on dialysis, daily protein intake in the range of 1.0-1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight is recommended.

Renal patients on dialysis require more protein than those in earlier stages of CKD. Dialysis removes waste products from the blood, but it also removes protein and amino acids. To compensate for these losses and to prevent muscle wasting and malnutrition, renal patients need to consume more protein.

Is protein powder good for renal patients? 

First of all, people with kidney disease should use protein supplements in moderation.

Basically, the only time a protein supplement is needed is when daily protein requirements are not being met.

That said, renal patients undergoing dialysis often need help eating enough protein to compensate for losses due to dialysis. This is where protein supplements can come in handy. 

Adding the right protein powder to your diet can be an easy way to ensure that you are eating enough protein and curbing muscle wasting and malnutrition.

Protein powder can be incorporated into smoothies, oatmeal, and other recipes. It also makes it easy to measure exactly how much protein you are eating.

Not all protein powders are created equal, however, and some types of protein powder are better for renal patients than others. 

What is the best renal protein powder?

Research suggests that egg white protein powder and bovine collagen protein powder are among the best sources for renal patients, especially those undergoing dialysis treatment.

This is because dialysis patients have high protein needs, but need to limit phosphorus and potassium intakes.

Both collagen and egg white are low in phosphorus and potassium. In fact, egg whites are not only low in phosphorus, but can also lower phosphorus levels in the blood.

Egg whites do contain a moderate amount of sodium, however, so if this is a concern for you, then bovine collagen protein powder may be the best option for you.

Moreover, if you need to limit your potassium intake, it is recommended that you choose unflavored egg white or collagen protein powder.

Added ingredients tend to contribute phosphorus to a formula, so it may be best to keep it simple! 

All that said, the amount of egg whites or bovine collagen allowed in your diet is dependent on your individual nutritional status.

You should therefore consult with your medical practitioner before making any significant changes to your diet.

What protein powder ingredients should renal patients avoid? 

Many protein powders are made with added ingredients that can cause long term health problems for renal patients. Among these ingredients are food additives and protein concentrates and isolates. 

Avoid food additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives can alter the composition of your gut microbiome – the collection of microorganisms living in your gut.

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut bacteria, which may contribute to the development of kidney disease. 

An imbalance in gut bacteria can result in the increased production of uremic toxins, which, in turn, can exacerbate local and systemic kidney inflammation.

Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

It is worth mentioning that protein supplements like NOVASOURCE and Nepro, which are made specifically for renal patients on dialysis, are full of food additives like these, not to mention corn syrup and seed oils.

Although these products were specifically designed to help meet the nutritional needs of people on dialysis, they are not something I would recommend feeding to a healthy person, let alone a renal patient.

Avoid protein concentrates and isolates

Most protein supplements are made from protein concentrates and isolates, which have been mechanically and or chemically stripped of everything but the protein, including the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help you break them down.

As a result, they can cause digestive issues and possibly even disruptions to your gut microbiome. This is something someone with impaired kidney function should take very seriously. 

Shop Now

Shop Now

drink wholesome makes the best protein powder for renal patients

Finding a protein supplement free from food additives and protein concentrates/isolates is hard.

In fact, 99% of protein supplements contain one or both of these problematic ingredients, which is why we created drink wholesome.

Our ingredients

collagen

egg whites

NOT our ingredients

• acacia gum

• acesulfame potassium

• artificial flavors

• carrageenan

• erythritol

• guar gum

• inulin

• maltodextrin

• 'natural' flavors

• silica

• soy lecithin

• sucralose

• xanthan gum

• xylitol

We make the best protein powder for renal patients because we use a short list of simple ingredients free from food additives and protein concentrates and isolates.

Note that instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we use whole food protein sources like egg whites, which are easier to digest and absorb.

It follows that our customers experience fewer digestive issues with our renal protein powder than with any other type of protein supplement. Order samples to see for yourself.