I’ve been pretty vocal about being on a higher-protein diet and supplementing with creatine daily. Both of these practices have had a huge impact on my muscle composition and overall energy levels.
But everyone wants to know: don’t high-protein diets and creatine cause kidney damage?
Today I’m going to set the record straight with some information from trusted experts. Where did this myth come from, and what is the truth about creatine and high-protein diets?
Let’s get into it.
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Are Your High-Protein Diet and Creatine Supplement Killing You?
The short answer is no.
The idea that creatine causes kidney damage came primarily from an older case study that stated creatine overburdened the kidneys by forcing them to push out excess amounts of the stuff. But over the years, what experts have found is that this only seems to be problematic in those who have unhealthy kidneys. For people who have healthy kidneys, creatine can be hugely beneficial for muscle synthesis and repair, brain disorders, sleep, blood sugar regulation, and much, much more.
Where people get tripped up is that creatinine, which is a waste product stored in our blood, is used to measure kidney function and can be created from creatine. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is another measurement of kidney function that can also become altered when supplementing with creatine. But are just these measurements alone useful?
I love this video breakdown from Dr. Karan Rajan on instagram where he explains that both his creatinine and eGFR were flagged despite being an overall healthy individual. He suspected that supplementing with creatine was creating false positives in his blood work, so he stopped creatine for a few weeks…only to find that both markers had returned to normal!
He also got a cystatin C test, which is a better indicator of kidney function, and that test turned out to be normal. So the bottom line is his kidneys were totally healthy! It was just supplementing with creatine that created false positives. His recommendation? Tell your doctor if you’re supplementing with creatine to prevent alarm. Ask for the cystatin C test too!
More-up-to-date reviews of creatine have found no adverse effects on kidney health from supplementing with the recommended amount of creatine. Also, the idea that creatine causes balding, cramping, dehydration, and fat gain have also been debunked!
Similarly, the idea that high-protein diets cause kidney disease has also been debunked, and some of my favorite experts like Dr. Peter Attia and Dr. Gabrielle Lyon have talked about this!
Dr. Lyon explains that this myth came from the idea that high-protein diets elevate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), but updated evidence, including interventional studies, has found that high-protein diets have no effect on GFR. She also shares that if you have healthy kidneys, protein actually supports kidney function and efficiency!
The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Most experts I talk to say that this is really low. In order to support our muscle, metabolism, immunity, and more, Dr. Donald Layman (a pioneer in establishing optimal protein intake) recommends 1.2–1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight daily.
Dr. Peter Attia explains that around 3–4 grams of daily protein per kilogram of body weight is when there’s concern about straining the kidneys. And if someone has unhealthy kidneys or active kidney disease, they might need to watch their protein intake as well.
The question many of us are asking is, are we focusing on the wrong culprit here? What is much more likely to cause kidney disease than protein intake is poor metabolic health from insulin resistance, uncontrolled diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Instead of being concerned about eating too much protein, most of us could benefit from improving our metabolic health, which includes getting the right amount of protein, fiber, and healthy fats with each meal.
Don’t let the headlines fool you—protein and creatine can be life-changing in the right circumstances!
Here’s to your health,
Dhru Purohit