The dialysis process itself causes some protein to be lost along with metabolic waste products. Beyond that, however, many dialysis patients lose their taste for animal protein, especially meat. If you're protein-malnourished, your body's not able to do a lot of things it needs to do, like maintain a fully functioning immune system. Unfortunately, these patients are already at higher risk of infections because dialysis is an invasive procedure. Digesting protein produces excess nitrogen and other waste products that the kidneys normally filter out of the blood.
Plant protein puts less wear and tear on the kidneys than animal protein does.
For people whose kidneys are starting to fail, shifting to plant protein, such as soy, can sometimes slow the deterioration. For those with no kidney function, plant protein generates fewer waste products that need to be removed by dialysis. That's an important head start for someone whose blood is being cleaned only 14 or 15 hours a week. To see if soy protein supplementation can improve patients' health, the SIUC team will conduct a clinical trial at three regional dialysis facilities. Paula Vineyard Most, a staff researcher and a graduate student in community nutrition, will recruit about 100 patients to participate in the six-month study.