Diabetics who break down L-Carnosine too quickly develop kidney failure

Diabetes is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide. This requires either a kidney transplant or kidney dialysis treatments for survival. A research team from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of Heidelberg has found that diabetics that have a particular type of gene involved with the protective factor Carnosine do not develop kidney failure.

L-Carnosine is a protective factor shown to be active in the heart, liver, kidneys, brain, eyes, skin and likely other tissues. The Carnosinase 1 gene on human chromosome 18 is responsible for creating Carnosinase; the enzyme that degrades the protective factor L-Carnosine. In comparing this gene in858 subjects including diabetics with end-stage kidney failure (294 patients), diabetics without kidney damage (258 patients) and healthy non-diabetics (306 people) it was found that those who break down L-Carnosine inappropriately tend to develop kidney disease. L-Carnosine appears to prevent scarring from developing in the kidneys and serves as a scavenger of kidney damaging free radicals. The study is published in the January 5th, 2007 issue of the journal Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation.