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  Friday, 12 October 2018
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I had left kidney removed 41/2 years ago (renal cell carcinoma) and a small portion of my right kidney removed about 6 months ago (same reason).
I am 73 year old white male, otherwise in very good health. I eat a balanced diet, and exercise regularly, golf(walk the course 3 times/week, take a cycling(spinning class 2x week, occasional outside biking, and have recently started a 2x per week workout with a personal trainer to improve core and muscle strength). My most recent blood work shows creatinine 1.31, potassium 5.1, sodium 142, protein total 7.4, albumen 4.8, BUN 20, an GFR 54. Most recent Urinalysis shows "PROTEIN -NEGLIGIBLE" Three questions

1) I Have read that the urinalysis for kidney issues would look for Albumen as a protein in the urine which would indicate a problem. My urinalysis only lists PROTEIN. Does this mean it would include the Albumen? or should my Dr. be specifying a different test?

2) Since starting my workouts with the trainer, he suggested I take a dose of whey protein powder after the workouts to help rebuild the muscle. We selected the powder that seems to have minimal contents of things I know to avoid. These workouts are twice per week and I have included attachments which describe what is in the powder. I started taking the powder AFTER my last blood and urine tests and am not scheduled again until February. In your opinion is it safe for me to continue with this regimen?
Hello,

1) I Have read that the urinalysis for kidney issues would look for Albumen as a protein in the urine which would indicate a problem. My urinalysis only lists PROTEIN. Does this mean it would include the Albumen? or should my Dr. be specifying a different test?


The protein detected by urinalysis strips is in fact albumin.

2) Since starting my workouts with the trainer, he suggested I take a dose of whey protein powder after the workouts to help rebuild the muscle. We selected the powder that seems to have minimal contents of things I know to avoid. These workouts are twice per week and I have included attachments which describe what is in the powder. I started taking the powder AFTER my last blood and urine tests and am not scheduled again until February. In your opinion is it safe for me to continue with this regimen?


I generally ask patients to avoid supplements when reduced kidney function is present. We cannot always be assured of the safety of supplements in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and I question their efficacy even without CKD. Regarding protein supplements, you can probably safely add some whey protein to your diet without a problem at your level of kidney function, so long as you are not exceeding 0.6-0.75 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (g/kg/d) from all sources in your diet.

Dr. Jordan Weinstein
5 years ago
·
#1220
Thank you for your rapid and thorough, and easily understood reply!
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