INDIA, June 17, 2011: A new study has suggested that sticking to a vegetarian diet can help kidney disease patients avoid accumulating toxic levels of phosphorous in their bodies. Kidney disease patients must limit their phosphorous intake, as high levels of the mineral can lead to heart disease and death.
Sharon Moe (Indiana University School of Medicine and Roudebush Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center) and her colleagues studied the effects of vegetarian and meat-based diets on phosphorous levels in nine patients. Despite equivalent protein and phosphorus concentrations in the two diets, patients had lower blood phosphorus levels when they were on the vegetarian diet compared with the meat-based diet.