Research

Hormonal

The ketogenic diet, by emphasizing high protein (1.2-2.0 g/kg) and high fat while excluding fruits/vegetables, may increase the risk of kidney stones, metabolic acidosis, and albuminuria due to high dietary acid load and lack of alkali precursors.

If you follow a ketogenic diet and have a history of kidney stones or kidney disease, be aware that the high acid load from animal proteins and lack of fruits/vegetables may increase your risk of stone formation and metabolic acidosis. Monitor your health and consider incorporating low-carb vegetables to balance acid load.

ModerateRefutesMEDIUM confidence
Excess consumption of animal protein with the ketogenic diet has also been implicated in the formation of kidney stones... The acid load consumed and generated among those following a ketogenic diet could also lead to metabolic acidosis and related complications.
Gang-Jee Ko et al. · Journal of the American Society of Nephrology · 2020

Why this rating

Based on case reports, observational studies, and mechanistic theories; long-term RCT data on kidney outcomes is limited.

Source

The Effects of High-Protein Diets on Kidney Health and Longevity

Gang-Jee Ko et al. · Journal of the American Society of Nephrology · 2020

DOI 10.1681/asn.2020010028

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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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