How To Keep Kidneys Healthy
Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology | Sep 24, 2024
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Your kidneys play a pivotal role in expelling all impurities from your blood. Waste products and excess fluid are temporarily stored in the bladder and then passed through your urine. Additionally, your kidneys are responsible for managing your body’s pH levels and regulating minerals like sodium, potassium, calcium, etc.
If one or both of your kidneys stop functioning, the waste and fluid in your blood will accumulate, increasing the risk of electrolyte imbalance, hypertension, and bone disease. If your kidneys fail, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant to filter waste.
Taking preventive measures to protect your kidneys and maintain their function can help reduce the risk of chronic kidney disease or complete failure. In this post, we’ve compiled a list of tips on how to keep kidneys healthy. If you are concerned about your kidneys’ health or have a medical condition that can deteriorate your kidney function, these kidney health tips might help.
How to Take Care of Kidneys — 6 Crucial Tips
Stay Hydrated
People with kidney stones or other kidney diseases are advised to increase their fluid intake. While that doesn’t magically treat CKD, drinking plenty of fluids will keep you hydrated and help expel waste products through urine.
Hydrating is key to expelling kidney stones. Ideally, you should aim to drink at least 2.5 to 3 liters of water a day, but the exact requirement varies depending on the climate in your area, your overall health, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, and other factors. You must increase your water intake if you are currently diagnosed with or have a history of kidney stones.
Avoid Drug Overdose
The common painkillers, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory drugs can help relieve pain, discomfort, and fever, but they don’t come without side effects. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NSAIDs increase the risk of acute kidney injury and other long-term kidney diseases. The next time you get medication for a cold, flu, or pain, talk to your healthcare provider about the risks. It’s particularly important for patients with kidney diseases.
Create a Healthy Diet Chart
A diet rich in fats, sodium, sugar, processed meat, fried food, and other unhealthy foods can impair your kidneys’ function over time. The risk is particularly higher in patients with diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic diseases that can affect their kidney function. Watch your intake of sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and calcium, as excess amounts of these minerals can increase the risk of kidney stones. The minerals come together to form kidney stones that cause extreme pain and discomfort. If you have CKD, consult a certified dietician and a urologist for dietary recommendations.
Stay Active
A Study showed that people with a sedentary lifestyle are more likely to develop chronic kidney disease than those with an active lifestyle. Exercise can help you in many ways. It brings your blood pressure and blood glucose levels (higher levels of both can affect your kidney function) to a normal range.
It helps you lose weight and reduces the risk of kidney damage due to obesity. You should exercise for 30 minutes each day for 5 days a week. Exercise doesn’t mean joining a gym or lifting weights. Moderate-intensity exercises, like walking, running, swimming, and cycling, are great options to keep your weight and overall health in check.
Do not practice heavy workouts, as that’s also bad for your kidney health. In other words, going from a sofa spud to a gym freak is a bad transition for someone with an increase in kidney issues.
Manage Hypertension and Diabetes
The risk of kidney damage increases in diabetic patients. As the body can’t process glucose, the kidneys work harder to filter the blood. This overexertion can cause kidney damage over time. Likewise, high blood pressure can affect the blood vessels in your kidneys, impairing their function. It’s important to manage your blood glucose levels and take insulin if required to prevent diabetes-related kidney damage. For high blood pressure, your doctor will prescribe medication to keep the numbers in a normal range.
Quit Smoking and drinking.
Smoking damages your blood vessels, restricting the blood flow to the kidneys. Smoking is also associated with higher blood pressure. If your blood pressure is above the normal range, the risk of damage to the blood vessels in your kidneys increases. This can affect your kidneys’ ability to filter waste effectively. Moreover, smoking increases your risk for renal cancer.
You should also limit or stop alcohol consumption if you have a history of kidney disease. Alcohol is linked to hypertension, liver damage, dehydration, and weight issues—all of which can damage your kidneys in the long run.
