'Tahu', 'tempe' can damage your kidneys

JAKARTA (JP): A doctor warned here on Tuesday that Indonesians should not overindulge in one of their favorite culinary delights, eating tofu and soybean cake (tempe), as it may eventually result in damage to their kidneys.

"The kidney functions to dispose of remaining protein substances, besides water and other related body waste," Pudji Rahardjo, a kidney expert who is also an organizer of the upcoming 13th Conference on Asian Colloquium in Nephrology, told journalists.

"What many people don't know is that protein which comes from plants, such as is the case with tahu and tempe, which are commonly consumed by most Indonesians in large quantities, are not good for the kidneys as their residue substances contain toxins," Pudji explained.

People should eat more food with protein from animals such as eggs, milk and meat, he said.

"To have a safe protein diet, the standard amount of protein that should be consumed is one gram per kilogram of each person's weight.

"If someone is diagnosed with kidney failure, he must reduce his protein consumption to 0.6 grams per kilogram of his weight," the doctor explained.

"Many think that by eating as much protein as one can, one will be healthy. It's not like that. Overconsumption will do a lot of damage to your body," he added.

Among the common symptoms of kidney disorders are irregular frequency of urination, along with changes in the color of the urine expelled.

"For instance, a change from the usual bright yellow to a darker color must be carefully monitored," Pudji said.

Early detection and prevention is necessary as once the kidneys fail dialysis will become necessary.

"And dialysis is very expensive, about Rp 500,000 per session and each patient usually needs two sessions per week," he said.

A patient with chronic kidney failure would need some Rp 20 million to Rp 60 million per year to pay for his treatment.

The other way to save a patient suffering from severe kidney failure is through a transplant, but it often proves difficult to find a match and a healthy donor.

To raise awareness of the issue, the Indonesian Association of Nephrology in cooperation with the Australian-New Zealand Society of Nephrology will hold the first regional advanced course on the kidneys and hypertension from Nov. 21 to Nov. 22 in Jakarta.

The training is part of the 13th Conference on Asian Colloquium in Nephrology to be held on Nov. 23 to Nov. 25 in Bali, an event slated to be attended by 800 participants. (edt)