Ammonia

Substitution of just one meat-based meal with a vegetarian or vegan alternative reduced serum ammonia levels for up to 3 hours and improved metabolites in patients with cirrhosis who follow a Western meat-based diet, researchers reported.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Substituting just one meat-based meal with protein from plant or dairy sources could improve metabolite signatures linked to hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis, according to a presenter here.

As breath ammonia concentration increased at each chronic kidney disease stage and correlated with eGFR and CKD biomarkers, researchers said it can be used to screen for “non-life threatening or non-serious CKD” at a cutoff of 886 ppb.