QuestionMy husband has been told he has too much protein in his urine. The urine test showed in the 600 range about six months ago, and he was prescribed Lisinopril 2.5 mg a day. He was recently retested and the protein was now in the 900 range. He was referred to a Doctor of Nephrology. This Doctor increased his Lisinopril to 5 mg a day and had him go for a sonogram. On the sonogram his kidneys and bladder looked alright, with the exception of a cyst in one kidney. The Doctor said the cyst was nothing to worry about. The Doctor did not suggest any special diet nor did he suggest my husband reduce the protein he is eating. Would it help if he reduced his consumption of protein?
AnswerHigher than normal protein in the urine is more an indication of kidney function than protein intake. However, giving the kidneys less work may be beneficial. I recommend he try a goal protein intake of .8 grams/kilogram of body weight. That amount is the low recommendation of normal, any lower and he should be followed by a nutrition or medical professional to make sure his individualized needs are met. The math isn't too hard. If you only know his weight in pounds, you can divide by 2.2. For example, a 170 pound person: 170lbs ?.2 =77.27kg. 77.27kg x .8 = ~63grams protein/day. Every ounce of meat contains 7 grams. An egg contains 7 grams. A cup of dried beans has 16 grams. A cup of milk has 8 grams. Even most breads/baked goods contain 1 gram. Food labels are required to provide how many grams of protein are in each serving and should be helpful. (However, be careful of the serving size because many people consume more than a serving. If that's the case, just take the grams provided times the number of servings consumed.) I can't guarantee reducing protein intake will help, but it shouldn't hurt. I hope that helps!
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