WINNIPEG, Manitoba, March 23 (UPI) -- Canadian scientists suggest a protein extracted from yellow peas may help kidney patients.
The study found laboratory rats with a severe form of kidney disease fed small daily doses of this protein had blood pressure drop 20 percent below that of the diseased rats fed only normal diets.
"In people with high blood pressure, our protein could potentially delay or prevent the onset of kidney damage," study presenter Rotimi Aluko, of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg said in a statement. "In people who already have kidney disease, our protein may help them maintain normal blood pressure levels so they can live longer."
The purified mixture of small proteins -- pea protein hydrolysate -- was fed to rats with a severe form of kidney disease. At the end of the 8-week study period, rats fed the protein also had urine output go up 30 percent -- to within normal levels.
In both rats and humans with polycystic kidney disease, the condition causes urine output to be severely reduced and the kidneys are unable to properly remove dangerous toxins.
The findings were presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Salt Lake City.
