One of the first things the vet gave me to give to Eric was Renafood, a supplement consisting of various detoxifiers, including beet juice. I’m skeptical that it actually does anything for two main reasons:
1. I feel doubtful about the efficacy of herbal detoxification in general, partly stemming from a skepticism about the quality control and potency of the herbs in any given supplement, and partly stemming from skepticism that herbal detoxification actually works in the way described. I mean, look: my cat’s kidneys are fucked. Thoroughly, utterly fucked. I’m not sure how or why minute amounts of carrot and beet might help him filter waste material more effectively, unless they’re somehow rebuilding his nephrons for him.
2. The logic of some of the claims presented in the Renafood information sheet. So, Renafood contains bovine kidney extract. That extract apparently holds “tissue cell determinants” that will instruct the kidneys to Shape Up, Son. I have no idea what a “tissue cell determinant” is, though I have a very vague memory of learning about cell fate determination—thanks, high school biology! But the information sheet doesn’t give any sort of helpful definition of what these tissue cell determinants do other than talking about something that sort of vaguely sounds like cell fate determination. Quoting from the information sheet:
The bovine kidney PMG extract found in Renafood contains cellular determinants that regulate cell activities. Genetic coding determines the proteins unique to cells in each tissue, gland and organ. Cellular proteins are the foundation of the cell’s nutrition. Similarly, bovine kidney contributes innumerable materials produced in the organ itself, such as acids, enzymes and hormone precursors—each captured and preserved to offer their innate benefits to the corresponding tissues in humans to promote optimal health.
Huh. That sure sounds like a fancy way of saying…nothing much. Prepare for a bulleted list!
- The first sentence makes an assertion that the cell determinants in Renafood regulate activities, and the next sentence is a more-or-less correct statement about cell fate determination, but doesn’t tell me how Renafood affects the genetic coding of cells.
- The sentence after that reads like a complete non-sequitur. Cellular proteins may or may not be the foundation of a cell’s nutrition (I don’t know enough about biochemistry to begin unraveling what this deceptively simple sentence means), but how does that relate to the thesis sentence or to the conclusion?
- Furthermore, what do they mean by “cellular proteins,” especially in this context?
- The first part of the last sentence is more-or-less true, because it’s essentially talking about the kidney extract providing proteins, fats and vitamins, but you can feed real food (like, oh, I don’t know, fresh kidney) and, if the Renafood claims are true, get the same effect.
- This information sheet from Standard Process explains what cell determinants do and how they relate to protomorphogens (which is apparently what constitutes the bovine kidney extract in Renafood), but it sounds even more gobbledegooky. The cell determinants in protomorphogens are apparently the mineral templates on which chromosomes are constructed. This is, near as I can determine (and I’ve confirmed this with biochemist friends just to make sure I didn’t miss something about cell biology) complete nonsense. Seriously.
- I’ve read the info sheet through three times, and I’m still not entirely sure how Renafood keeps cells healthy or helps regenerate cells, because I don’t see how the leap from digestive system to bloodstream to cell division is made—there’s a lot of talk about “affinity” and thermostability and how important cell determinant are, but very little actual science. The most credible-sounding scientific bits aren’t supported by any references, and most importantly, they’re not connected to how the supplement’s supposed to work. Speaking as a former technical writer, this is probably the shoddiest bit of technical writing I’ve ever seen.
- It doesn’t help that Royal Lee, the founder of Standard Process, has been prosecuted for criminal misbranding. The FDA has in the past characterized him as “probably the largest publisher of unreliable and false nutritional information in the world.” Given how lackadaisical the FDA has been and continues to be about food and drug regulation, these aren’t just fightin’ words, them’s strong fightin’ words.
- Taken as a whole, it sounds like Standard Prociess is claiming that eating Renafood will somehow stimulate kidney cells to work better through a mysterious process involving “cellular determinants.” If that’s not science-esque, I don’t know what is. (“Science-esque 2: This time, it’s not Science-esque 1!”)
In short: I’m not sure I buy into the idea that this does anything. I’m giving it to Eric right now because he loves it, and it doesn’t contain anything that seems overtly harmful. But my woo-woo meter is on alert, and if you want to save yourself $16, I’d argue that this supplement doesn’t do anything other than provide a nice source of vitamin A and a tasty snack.
Thanks for the sharing! Your post truly assisted me.
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Comment to Renafood
I have been a practicing veterinarian since 1982, and I have used Standard Process supplements in animals (and my own family) for the past 20 years. I am now employed by Standard Process as a technical support veterinarian. I help veterinarians integrate nutrition into their clinical practices. I would like to respond to this post.
The author of the above post expresses skepticism on the value of using herbs, botanicals (plants) and glandular materials to support compromised organs (in this case, his/her cat’s kidneys). He/she lists multiple points of concern.
1. The author does questions the quality control of the ingredients in Renafood (or supplements in general). I would invite him to view a video of how supplements are made at Standard Process on our website (www.standardprocess.com). Standard Process Inc. produces all supplements under the same stringent regulations used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals. We are inspected by the FDA, USDA and other regulatory organizations multiple times per year. Each supplement we produce is tested by our in-house laboratory up to six times before it is released to the public. Quality control is taken very seriously at Standard Process Inc.
2. You don’t believe that herbal detoxification is possible. I would be happy to provide you with references of how herbs and foods can affect detoxification mechanisms in the body. After 28 years of practice and years of clinical experience with these products, I can attest to their value. The FDA does not allow supplement companies to make any claims on their products in relation to specific diseases, so will not be doing so. The fact is that most chronic disease have been linked to nutritional deficiencies, so providing quality nutrition to compromised cells can improve their ability to function.
3. Cell determinants. As I mentioned, we are severely restricted by the FDA as to what we can say about our ingredients, so the information is vague and difficult to get a clear picture. For more information on how protomorphogens, cell determinants, or glandular tissues can be of therapeutic value, look at the more recent subject of Oral Tolerance Therapy. OTT is touted as a ‘new and promising’ therapy for a number of diseases, using cell extracts from various glands to treat specific glandular diseases. This can help explain how eating some kidney can help a compromised kidney. This is what the catalog is talking about when supplying cell determinants. Your not understanding what cell determinants are does not qualify you to say they do not exist or cannot be of clinical value. But I will agree that the writing could be more precise.
4. Dr. Royal Lee spent his life fighting the FDA, and yes, he was brought up before them several times. He was an outspoken critic of the adulteration of foods that came into common practice starting in the 1920′s (bleaching of flour, high-heat processing of foods, processing of foods to increase shelf life, the addition of sugar to so many foods, etc.) He constantly wrote letters to the FDA and other industry leaders pointing out the negative health effects these foods were having. As a dentist, he saw oral pathology due to nutritional deficiencies. This is how he came to start Standard Process Inc. – using quality food sources to replace the trace nutrients that were being lost in the food supply. The FDA and others took offense at his criticism and did go after him. Some of his claims (back in the 1930′s and 1940′s) were that these processed foods would lead to increased obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Are we seeing any of these conditions today? Are they increasing in frequency? Do we eat a lot of processed foods? Do our animals? As veterinarians, we are seeing the same increase in the same diseases in our pets as in humans. Be sure you check other sources besides QuackBusters.
You make many judgements without much background information. This is the negative side of internet freedom, because people reading your biased opinion will take it as fact. This is unfortunate.
I would be happy to discuss this with you if you would like more information.
Tom Cameron, DVM 800-848-5061
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Candy Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Dr. Cameron: Thank you for your detailed comment. My reply was so long that I’ve decided to turn it into an independent blog entry. You can see it here: http://www.catfoodguide.com/2010/03/02/renafood-redux-or-the-reply-comment-that-ate-the-blog/
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i have seen a dramatic improvement in my cat’s health since starting him on Renafood 2 years ago. he is now 16 years old and no longer has the cachexic look of an old cat with kidney disease. his fur is thick and shiny, his muscle mass has improved. he was in the beginning stages of kidney disease (as are most old cats) when i began the Renafood, not kidney failure. I feel like it has been worthwhile giving him this supplement.
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Candy Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:22 pm
I’m really glad to hear that your cat is doing so well! I’m curious: are you doing anything else to control your cat’s kidney disease, or is the Renafood the only thing you’re doing different after his diagnosis?
And now, to be an obnoxious pedant and to pick a nit: as far as I know, the muscle wasting in cats with kidney disease usually results from inadequate food intake. Eric was in end-stage kidney failure but was in beautiful physical condition (glossy fur, amazing muscle mass–and god knows trying to give him subcutaneous fluids or meds of any kind was complicated by the fact that he was so strong) until the day he died because his appetite remained excellent until the last week or so of his disease, when his blood values got really screwy. His good physical condition had more to do with the fact that he was a chow hound than any medication or therapy we were providing him.
That said: I’m super-happy your cat is doing well. And if you think giving him Renafood was and is worthwhile, then by all means continue doing so.
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[...] was really surprised to see a notification pop in my e-mail that somebody had left a comment on my Renafood post. A very long comment. From a vet working for Standard Process, the manufacturer of Renafood. I [...]
We are an organization that helps animals, and the environment. And I am haveing some trouble deciding whether or not to use this medication in our animals with crf. I have heard both good and bad comments about this product. So if somebody could provide me with more information about this, that would be great. Right now we use Azodyl, and Purina Veterinary Diets.
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I started my cat on Renafood AND Cataplex ACP a couple of months ago when I learned she has CRF.
She is shedding less, grooming less (it was constant) is less cold, her “voice” is different, and at 15, she even plays! She is more alert, yet calm, and just seems more content and comfortable.
She is about 15 lbs. and I give her 3 Renafood per day + 6 Cataplex ACP mixed into her food. To get her to consume more water, I make a “soup” out of her food and add warm or hot water (this also dissolves the vites) I only feed her high quality canned food with NO ASH–if it is 0% it would be not listed at all since by law, the companies are required to list it.
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Thanks for the info everyone. My 18 year old cat, Angel, was diagnosed with early CRF in August 09. For the first 6 months I used Azodyl. She seemed to be doing fine but her blood work in February showed she was slightly worse. So I decided to switch her to Renafood (2 per day) and Renatrophin (1 per day) both from Standard Process after reading much research. She won’t have her next blood work until August, so I’ll post up then and let y’all know how it turned out. She is holding steady weight and eats well. She wouldn’t eat the low protein stuff, so I went the opposite way and give her the best quality organic and/or natural cat food I can find. I also give her purified water. Best of luck to all.
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Candy Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Hey Terry,
Thanks for leaving a comment. Do let us know how the blood work looks, and best of luck to you and Angel.
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I just got off the phone with a rep for this company. I’ve ordered renafood and thymex for my 12+ year old “rescue” Abby who has just starting symtoms of early CRF. His creatine and Bun are elevated but no too high so far. I noticed weight loss 16 lbs to 14.5 and lots of water consumption and urine output. Don’t want to use something that might actually hurt him so would like to hear more cons if there are any? I can take plecebo or empty calories but not kidney damage? Any one doing great research at Davis or nearby to SF bayarea?
Writing this for Max!
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Candy Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Hi Lisa,
I really doubt that Renafood is going to actively hurt your cat–I don’t think it’ll do anything to help with the symptoms of kidney disease, either. I haven’t heard about too much research on Renafood; most of the evidence is anecdotal, and nobody that I know of uses Renafood alone to treat kidney disease, which really complicates the assessments of how effective or harmful it may be. Part of the issue with Renafood–and it’s a big part of why it pings my snake oil radar–is that the so-called active ingredients are trademarked terms of art, and not actual scientific names, and no big labs or research universities have bothered to study or pursue the formula. I’m not saying that big pharma is correct in everything they do or release, but they’re pretty cutthroat and if anything looks like a promising way to make a lot of money, you can bet that they’d be on it like white on rice. Renafood has been around for a long time, and the fact that there’s no published, peer-reviewed literature on it and that no other companies have courted Standard Process for some kind of licensing scheme indicates that it’s a placebo at best. Looking at the ingredients list, there’s nothing in there that could hurt a cat.
Good luck to you and Max!
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Thanks kinda my feelings also but I was hoping maybe it was still in the “research” stage? He’s stopped eating but has teeth issues so today he’s getting the dental and hydration by IV, Think Obama is going to get us help with our Pet health care? This will be a $400 day for sure.
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My cat was diagnost with crf, I started giving him renafood 1/2 tablet with his food and he seem to like it, I want to know how much to give, I want to give him the rigth amount to see improvments.
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We enjoy this info given and it has provided me some sort of inspiration to succeed for some factor, so thanks.
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