Karing for Your Kidneys

You probably don't give your kidneys a lot of thought but they are crucial to your health and wellness. The kidneys filter waste out of the blood, help regulate blood pressure, control the production of red blood cells and regulate the concentration of electrolytes. Without them you die. And if they are compromised, you get ill, including high blood pressure, anemia and metabolic bone disease.  The final stage of kidney disease is kidney failure, dyalisis and/or a kidney transplant.

About 10% of Americans have chronic kidney disease (CKD), the 9th leading cause of death in the USA. Many more are at risk and most of them have no idea there is even any issue. As a result, few people take any precautions to keep their kidneys healthy or get any treatment if they are not until the damage is far progressed.

If you have any of the main risk factors for CKD (high blood pressure, diabetes, are over age 60, are of non-Caucasian descent, are overweight or obese or have a family history of CKD) you should speak with your doctor about testing.  A bi-annual Kidney Profile will reveal any problems.

In the meantime, there are a lot of things you can do to reduce your risk of developing CKD, including:

1. Over the Counter Medicines.
    NSAIDs such as Advil, Motrin and Aleve can raise your risk by
    20% if you take 8 or more standard doses a month. Long term
    use of PPIs like Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec raise your risk
    nearly 30%. The key here is "long term". Don't use these drugs
    to mask problems, address the problem with your doctor.

2. Herbal and Dietary Supplements
    I am a fan of supplements, but because the industry is so
    casually regulated there is often only a fanciful correlation
    between what is on the label and what is in the bottle. So
    make sure you are getting your supplements from a reliable
    manufacturer and not whatever you find at the Dollar Store.
    Chinese yew extract, St. John's wort and wormwood are all
    suspected of causing kidney injuries in any doses. Again,
    check with your doctor or pharmacist.

3. Lifestyle (You knew I'd get around to this, right?)
    Too much protein - common in low-carb diets - especially from
    red and any processed meats will raise your CKD risk. White
    meats, fish and dairy protein do not seem to have as high a
    risk. Vegetable proteins may even be protective. The inorganic
    phosphorus used in many processed foods as a preservative is
    much more easily absorbed by the body than organic
    phosphorus (90% vs 60%) and the kidneys are taxed to remove
    the excess. (Excess phosphorus causes a host of problems in
    its own right.)

4. Chronic Air Pollution
    The Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (the kidney
    guys) estimated that 45,000 new cases of CKD are caused each
    year by long term exposure to small particle air pollution (the
    kind in chimney smoke and car exhaust). Further study is
    needed to understand the link but for now its one more reason
    to limit your exposure as much as possible.

Wishing you and your kidneys a long and happy life together!