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A groundbreaking clinical trial has revealed that a ketogenic diet, primarily comprising foods low in carbohydrates, could hold the key to controlling Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). PKD, an inherited condition causing the formation of cysts within the kidneys, often leading to their enlargement and reduced functionality over time, has seen hopeful results through this first-of-its-kind randomized controlled trial.
Published in Cell Reports Medicine, the trial aimed to explore the effect of ketosis, a fasting metabolic response, on the hallmark cysts of PKD. Biologist Thomas Weimbs, from the University of California-Santa Barbara, expressed his elation at the trial’s outcomes. “We now have the first evidence in humans that the cysts really don’t like to be in ketosis and that they don’t seem to grow,” he noted.
For individuals battling PKD, these findings offer a glimpse of hope in managing a genetic disease that progressively impairs quality of life, often leading to the necessity of dialysis or kidney transplantation due to the cysts’ destruction of kidney function.
Weimbs highlighted the prevailing belief that PKD inexorably leads to kidney failure regardless of actions taken, stating, “And no matter what you do, you progress toward kidney failure, and diet doesn’t make any difference, which unfortunately most patients are told to this day.”
The study, conducted by the Weimbs Lab in collaboration with researchers from various German institutions, divided sixty-six PKD patients into three groups: a control group receiving routine counseling, another group undergoing monthly three-day water fasts, and a third group following a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet. The patients underwent close monitoring through blood tests and MRI scans.
At the trial’s conclusion, while the control group experienced expected kidney growth, the ketogenic diet patients’ kidneys ceased growing and displayed a potential tendency to shrink, although statistical significance was not entirely reached within the 90-day trial period.
Remarkable improvements in kidney function were observed among the ketogenic diet patients, significantly outperforming other groups. However, Weimbs emphasized that there isn’t a universal ketogenic diet for all PKD patients and advised consulting with physicians and nutritionists to tailor dietary changes away from typical carbohydrate-heavy diets prevalent in industrialized societies.
This trial marks a pivotal moment, challenging the previously held belief about the inevitable progression of PKD and offering a potential lifestyle intervention to manage this challenging genetic condition.
