Intermittent Fasting with Chronic Kidney Disease

I am 66. In June 2020, I was diagnosed with stage 3a CKD with a GFR of 53. I began the CKD diet but easily got tired of constantly looking up foods for their protein K+ and phos levels. So I began eating a CKD-appropriate dinner only, so that I could be sure to stay under the recommended levels without all the calculations. I usually had an apple or other CKD recommended fruit around 1:00pm.
My recent blood analysis showed my GFR went from 53 to 58 in just 6 months. I also was able to lose 40 lbs. I’m now at a normal weight. I didn’t realize I was doing intermittent fasting, but I guess I was. With my recent experience, I highly recommend it. I’m looking forward to the next blood draw.

Congrats on improving your health, especially your kidney health, @sbshreeve. Were you hungry throughout the morning or did you find it relatively easy to not eat until 1pm?

This is from a recent research study. "CONCLUSION
A significant increase in eGFR was seen in a small population of patients with CKD practicing intermittent fasting for four months or more. Previous studies report an average annual decline in GFR of 1.5-2 ml/min/1.73 m2 in the general CKD population, with a more rapid decline in certain subsets. Intermittent fasting as a preventive measure for the progression of CKD needs to be studied further."

Interesting! Can you provide more information of this "recent research study"? Where was it published and when? Where can I read it for myself?

Here is the link. https://www.asn-online.org/education/kidneyweek/2020/program-abstract.aspx

Thanks! Reading the abstract it says that they only tested people in stages I-IV of CKD. Since I am stage V I'm not sure how much of this applies to my case. Also a high percentage of the study subjects had diabetes and I don't have diabetes. I have been practicing IF for about the past year or so. Initially my creatinine went up a bit but last time was coming down. I agree that further study is in order. Let me know if you hear of anyone doing such a study. I would be glad to participate.

I am generally not a breakfast eater anyway, but I do like my large mug of coffee with sweetener and Coffee Mate. If I got hungry I would eat an apple, but if not, I didn’t find it difficult to wait until 5:00 dinner.

Will do if I see any info on intermittent fasting. I signed up for the Journal of Renal Nutrition and I get notifications when studies are published. Most don't fit me but interesting none the less. I was Stage 3B and declining every month and was told I was on the fast track to dialysis. As soon as I found out I did my own research and figured out the right amount of protein and sodium for me. Potassium and phosphorus were not an issue for me. I lost about 50 lbs figuring the less blood to filter the better for my kidneys and my creatinine and eGFR stabilized. The difficult part is that reduced the amount of protein I could have further. I found an MD who is into Integrative and functional medicine and he put me on a few homeopathic remedies and Chinese herbs. My blood work from 2 weeks ago showed improvement of over 10% in my creatinine and my eGFR has gone from 38 to 49 over a period of time. Stage 3A now. My Mayo nephrologist is thrilled with my improvement and so is my internist telling me to just keep doing what I'm doing. Wishing you success.

Thanks! Best wishes to you too.

I went to Stage 4, then went on Cellcept for Lupus Nephritis -- got back to Stage 1...and now am at Stage 3B with off Cellcept for over 2 years. Started IF 2 days ago. I'd like someone to compare journeys with.