Too much and kidneys

How much protein should I eat with kidney disease?

By GyroscopeUpdated November 14, 20265 sources

Your doctor sets your number, so this site doesn’t give you a range. For adults in stages 3 to 5, the 2024 international kidney guideline suggests about 0.8 g of protein per kg a day, and avoiding more than 1.3 if your kidneys are at risk of getting worse. A kidney dietitian fits that to your stage, your weight and your other conditions.

The protein advice everywhere else, including the rest of this site, points up: eat more, at every meal. If you have kidney disease, that advice can be wrong for you, and it’s easy to miss because it’s said so confidently. On top of that, most people with kidney disease don’t know they have it. The CDC estimates that more than 1 in 10 American adults, about 37 million people, have chronic kidney disease, and about 9 in 10 of them don’t know.

We think the most useful thing we can do here is step back. The quiz on this site gives no range or verdict to anyone who says they have kidney disease, and this page doesn’t either. If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, the two main causes of kidney failure in US adults, ask your doctor for a kidney check before you raise your protein.

A healthy engine doesn’t mind towing a trailer. An engine with a known problem needs the mechanic to say how much it can pull.

What the 2024 guideline says

The KDIGO guideline is the main international guideline for chronic kidney disease. On protein, it:

• Suggests about 0.8 g per kg of body weight a day for adults in stages 3 to 5. It rates this as a weak suggestion, based on low-quality evidence.
• Says to avoid high protein, over 1.3 g per kg a day, in adults whose kidney disease is at risk of getting worse.
• Allows a very low-protein diet (0.3 to 0.4 g per kg with special supplements) only under close supervision for some people at risk of kidney failure, and never for people who are unwell or unstable.
• Says not to restrict protein in children with kidney disease, because they need it to grow.
• Suggests higher protein and calorie targets for frail older adults, where losing muscle is the bigger risk.
• Recommends a renal dietitian to tailor protein, salt, phosphorus and potassium to each person.

It also suggests eating more plant-based foods than animal-based foods, and fewer ultraprocessed foods.

Why it differs from healthy kidneys

Protein makes the kidneys filter more. In healthy adults that’s what the trials see. A 2026 review of 22 trials in adults without kidney disease found the filtering rate went up on high-protein diets, with no consistent sign of damage, and a 2018 review of 28 studies found the same. Those results are why the rest of this site doesn’t worry about protein for healthy kidneys. They don’t apply once the kidneys are damaged, which is why the guideline asks for less.

The PROT-AGE group, which recommends more protein for most people over 65, makes the same exception. People with severe kidney disease (an eGFR under 30) who aren’t on dialysis may need to limit protein, it says.

If you’re on dialysis

Dialysis changes protein needs again. Your care team sets that number, and it’s a different conversation from the one above.

What we’d do

• Ask your doctor for a kidney check if you have diabetes or high blood pressure.
• See a renal dietitian if you have kidney disease. The CDC suggests a kidney-healthy eating plan with the right amount and sources of protein.
• Use this site for food, not targets. The per-calorie calculator and the meal line calculator show the protein in foods without telling you what to aim for.

For healthy kidneys, see the myth that a high-protein diet damages your kidneys. Our safety guide covers who sets their own number.

What the guidelines say

Checked November 14, 2026:

• KDIGO 2024 chronic kidney disease guideline: about 0.8 g per kg a day in stages 3 to 5 (a weak suggestion), over 1.3 avoided in adults at risk of getting worse, no restriction in children, and a renal dietitian for everyone.
• CDC, March 2026: more than 1 in 10 US adults (14%, about 37 million) have chronic kidney disease, and about 9 in 10 of them don’t know it.