[Usefulness of the low protein rice on the diet therapy in patients with chronic renal failure].

Diet therapy for patients with chronic renal failure is based on low protein and high energy. To achieve strict diet therapy, it is necessary to use specially formulated low protein foods. Previously, rice with a low content of protein was not available, but recently, a low protein rice (LGC-1: low glutelin content-1) has been developed. LGC-1 was found to have a low content of glutelin in its seed protein compared to other ordinary rice. Glutelin is the major digestive protein in the rice grain. We studied the usefulness of LGC-1 in the diet therapy of patients with chronic renal failure. Twenty-three patients were placed on the low protein diet (0.6-0.9 g/kg/day) during the pre-study period (a mean of 10 months). Subsequently they were followed with the same diet using LGC-1 for the staple foods during the study period (mean of 7 months). Protein intake and the slope of the reciprocal of serum creatinine did not differ between each study period in all patients. Among the 23 patients, 9 consumed rice mainly as the staple food (120-180 g/day as polished rice: rice group), according to the results of a questionnaire. In the rice group, protein intake decreased (from 47 +/- 9 to 42 +/- 9 g/day, p < 0.05), and the slope of the reciprocal of serum creatinine reduced (from -4.59 +/- 4.33 to -1.47 +/- 3.51 x 10(-4) dl/mg/day, p < 0.05) during the study period, compared with the pre-study period. We conclude that LGC-1 is a useful and effective food for a low protein diet in patients with chronic renal failure, especially, for those who consume rice mainly as their staple food.