What are the kidneys and what do they do?

Filter toxins and excess fluid (cleaning the blood)

• Help in the making of red blood cells
• Blood pressure regulator
• Bone strength preserver
• What are the risk factors contributing to kidney failure?
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Kidney stones
• Nephritis (inflammation of the kidney)
• Family history, eg. family members suffered from kidney disease
• Drugs

DO YOU WANT TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR KIDNRY’S HEALTH?

• Why do you need to Restrict your Protein Intake?
• This is to prevent the accumulation of waste products in the body.
• Reducing the dietary protein intake can help tp reduce the workload on the already failing kidney and thus delay further kidney damage.
• Reduction of high protein intake is also associated with the reduction of phosphate, which then helps to preserve the bone composition.

 

What can you do for your kidneys

• Keeping fit helps to reduce your blood pressure and therefore reduces the risk of Chronic Kidney Disease.
• About half of people who have diabetes develop kidney damage, so it is important for people with diabetes to have regular tests to check their kidney functions.
• Although many people may be aware that high blood pressure can lead to a stroke or heart attack, few know that it is also the most common cause of kidney damage. This can help prevent diabetes, heart disease and other conditions associated with Chronic Kidney Disease.
• Eat healthy and keep your weight in check
• Although clinical studies have not reached an agreement on the ideal quantity of water and other fluids we should consume daily to maintain good health, traditional wisdom has long suggested drinking 1.5 to 2 litres (3 to 4 pints) of water per day.
• Smoking slows the flow of blood to the kidneys. When less blood reaches the kidneys, it impairs their ability to function properly. Smoking also increases the risk of kidney cancer by about 50 percent.
• Common drugs such non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen are known to cause kidney damage and disease if taken regularly.
• Get your kidney function checked if you have diabetes, hypertension, obese or one of your parents or other family members suffers from kidney disease

Dietary Changes to Help Prevent Kidney Stones

People can help prevent kidney stones by making changes in fluid intake and, depending on the type of kidney stone, changes in consumption of sodium, animal protein, calcium, and oxalate. Drinking enough fluids each day is the best way to help prevent most types of kidney stones. Health care providers recommend that a person drink 2 to 3 liters of fluid a day. People with cystine stones may need to drink even more. Though water is best, other fluids may also help prevent kidney stones, such as citrus drinks.

• reducing sodium
• reducing animal protein, such as meat, eggs, and fish
• getting enough calcium from food or taking calcium supplements with food
• avoiding foods high in oxalate, such as spinach, rhubarb, nuts, and wheat bread
• 

Points to Remember

• Kidney stones can form when substances in the urine - such as calcium, oxalate, and phosphorus become highly concentrated. Diet is one of several factors that can promote or inhibit kidney stone formation.
• Four major types of kidney stones can form: calcium stones, uric acid stones, struvite stones, and cystine stones.
• People who have had a kidney stone should drink enough water and other fluids to make at least 2 liters of urine a day.
• Sodium, often from salt, causes the kidneys to excrete more calcium into the urine. High concentrations of calcium in the urine combine with oxalate and phosphorus to form stones. Reducing sodium intake is preferred to reducing calcium intake.
• Meats and other animal protein such as eggs and fish contain purines, which break down into uric acid in the urine
• Calcium from food does not increase the risk of calcium oxalate stones. Calcium in the digestive tract binds to oxalate from food and keeps it from entering the blood, and then the urinary tract, where it can form stones.
• A dietitian can help a person plan meals that lower the risk of forming stones based on the type of stone the person formed in the past.