CLINICAL DIABETES
VOL. 18 NO. 3 Summer 2000

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

In your recent article on diabetic nephropathy (Evans TC, Capell P: Diabetic nephropathy. Clinical Diabetes 18:7-13, 2000), the authors seem to be saying two contradictory things: first, that high dietary protein increases the glomerular filtration rate and has been shown to decrease renal deterioration, and second, that a protein-restricted diet is advised.

Some clarification is needed. Is a protein-restricted diet beneficial, or is a high-protein diet advised?

R.M. Davis, MD

Authors' Response
Our thanks to a careful reader who noted the apparent contradiction resulting from an inadvertent word omission. Low dietary protein is indeed beneficial in preventing diabetic nephropathy. The sentence in the middle of the last full paragraph on page 11 of the article cited should read, "The typical diet in most industrialized societies contains considerably more protein than required for nutritional balance, and dietary protein restriction has been shown to decrease renal functional deterioration in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes."

Evans and Capell

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