Abstract
Hypertriglyceridemia in patients with chronic renal failure is widely observed in relation to the development of atherosclerosis. As diet therapy for patients with chronic renal failure, a low-protein and high-carbohydrate diet is generally accepted. However, a high-carbohydrate diet and derangement of glucose metabolism should be considered as prime factor for hypertriglyceridemia, because triglyceride removal rate is reduced in patients with chronic renal failure.
In the present study, 8 patients were offered low-carbohydrate (63.9% of total energy in average) and high-carbohydrate (47.0%) diets, each for one week successively, while maintaining an isocaloric level of 1, 800 kcal. Significant reduction in serum triglyceride took place due to a decrease in dietary carbohydrate, while serum levels of cholesterol, free fatty acids and phospholipids did not change. The present study suggests that the low-carbohydrate diet prevents hypertriglyceridemia and development of atherosclerosis in patients with chronic renal failure.
